tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4701821371458725472024-02-07T01:11:47.640-05:00Salem Witch WilesSalem from the perspective of a modern witch.
Tom the Tour Guide (Salem Witch Wiles)http://www.blogger.com/profile/04595637697583425642noreply@blogger.comBlogger62125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-470182137145872547.post-73946915803811056162021-09-08T18:09:00.003-04:002021-09-09T10:46:44.679-04:00πA Salem Witch's guide to Visiting Salem 2021π<p> I'm a Salem witch who's lived in Salem since high school and been a local historian for about 20 years. So many people ask what to do when they visit I decided to make a list to copy and paste because I'm lazy lol! π€·ββοΈβ₯οΈ (Also please keep in mind there's tons more than this, think of this as a quick guide to get you started)</p><p>UPDATED FOR 2021</p><p><br /></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiB9YUVi6eleYty0Oyz-gg1LOEED3HfR-BKUp3VvryCWQK-t3VfRWndn8_LQhLH9-6FdV-sj8_w6RP7RyN_IKcuQXOqrNfiAJX-alNILihojil0ykwDdfrjygPRLtRIDxNPLqRZIQeCFf8/s2048/42719756_10157017365413623_3022107850399809536_o.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1367" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiB9YUVi6eleYty0Oyz-gg1LOEED3HfR-BKUp3VvryCWQK-t3VfRWndn8_LQhLH9-6FdV-sj8_w6RP7RyN_IKcuQXOqrNfiAJX-alNILihojil0ykwDdfrjygPRLtRIDxNPLqRZIQeCFf8/s320/42719756_10157017365413623_3022107850399809536_o.jpg" width="214" /></a></div><br /><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>πA Salem Witch's guide to Visiting Salemπ</p><p><br /></p><p>- Food - π₯£ππ¨β</p><p><br /></p><p>Cafes - Gulu Gulu, Red Line, and Jaho</p><p><br /></p><p>Breakfast - Ugly Mug Diner, Red's, Fountain Place, and the Hawthorne Hotel</p><p><br /></p><p>Best vegetarian options - Life Alive, Passage to India, Paprika Grill (falafel), Jodi Bee's bakery, vegan pizza at Flying Saucer</p><p><br /></p><p>Seafood - for most fresh and fancy go to Turner's, for laid back go to Lobster Shanty, for ocean views there are three restaurants on Pickering Wharf</p><p><br /></p><p>Ice cream - Maria's Sweet Somethings, Captain Dusty's, Melt, Goodnight Fatty's (late night cookies with vegan chocolate ice cream!)</p><p><br /></p><p>Best for fancy dates - The Roof at Hotel Salem, Opus, Ledger, Antique Table</p><p><br /></p><p>All other restaurants are good too and most have options for all dietary requirements. I'm vegetarian and eat everywhere in town. </p><p><br /></p><p>- Tours - πΆπΏββοΈπΆπΆββοΈπΆπΏββοΈπΆπΌπΆπΎββοΈπ»</p><p><br /></p><p>Number one rated tour in Salem:</p><p>Satanic Salem Walking Tours, check out reviews and get tickets here https://www.tripadvisor.com/Attraction_Review-g60954-d18925409-Reviews-Satanic_Salem_Walking_Tours-Salem_Massachusetts.html</p><p><br /></p><p>Want ghosts? - I recommend Spellbound Tours, and Salem Night Tours </p><p><br /></p><p>Tired? - Salem Trolley is very relaxing and goes outside of the downtown historic district to places some tourists don't see</p><p><br /></p><p>- Museums - π’π°ππ«</p><p><br /></p><p>The Satanic Temple headquarter's Salem Art Gallery for pictures with the famous Baphomet statue</p><p><br /></p><p>The Salem Witch Museum is the most historically accurate of the witch museums. All of the witch museums were built in the seventies so they are a little cheesy but fun.</p><p><br /></p><p>The Halloween Museum is cute and nostalgic</p><p><br /></p><p>The House of Seven Gables is technically the first tourist attraction in the city and tries to offer something more classy and old school</p><p><br /></p><p>The Witch Board Museum has an amazing collection of Ouija boards</p><p><br /></p><p>The Burlesque Museum is a new interesting addition to the city</p><p><br /></p><p>Count Orlok's Nightmare Gallery is everyone's favorite monster museum</p><p><br /></p><p>The Peabody Essex Museum is super fancy and not touristy at all and could take a whole day to go through</p><p><br /></p><p>The Pirate Museum is my favorite cheesy tourist attraction because of how campy it is. Some people hate it and I'm like lighten up! π€£</p><p><br /></p><p>As far as historic sites and homes are considered, if you are a true history nerd and visiting Salem you should already be aware there are tons in the city and get researching which ones you want to visit!! Three websites have good lists for that stuff, the Salem witch Museum, the national Park service, and the Peabody Essex Museum. There's just so much. </p><p><br /></p><p>If it seems overwhelming you should definitely take some tours.</p><p><br /></p><p>- Shopping - ποΈπ§Ήπͺ</p><p><br /></p><p>Best tourist items - Trolley Depot, Salem Wax Museum/Witch Village gift shop, Salem Witch Museum gift shop, Flying Monkey t shirts, Witches Tees</p><p><br /></p><p>Best witch shops - Enchanted, Hermetic Arts Learning Center, Artemisia Botanicals, Pyramid Books</p><p><br /></p><p>Best goth/weird/oddities/random shops - Hive and Forge, Die with Your Boots On, Witch City Consignment and Thrift, Bewitched in Salem, Remember Salem</p><p><br /></p><p>Also in the center of the city is the Army Barracks, an army surplus store full of extremely useful things like last minute rain gear, boots, socks, hand warmers and foot warmers, etc.</p><p><br /></p><p>- Other random tourist advice -</p><p>(This advice applies mostly for October)</p><p><br /></p><p>-Parking sucks in Salem. It just does. I'm sorry. π The parking meters are easy to pay from the website at least nowadays you don't have to keep running back. When it gets busy private lots price gauge so the two city owned garages are good</p><p>-Bathrooms are difficult to find, easiest are at The Visitor's Center</p><p>-Don't overplan your trip. Give yourself time to wander. </p><p>- Be skeptical and open minded. Read descriptions of things carefully. There aren't many tourist traps in Salem but some things are confusing. </p>Tom the Tour Guide (Salem Witch Wiles)http://www.blogger.com/profile/04595637697583425642noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-470182137145872547.post-63467770299853829162019-11-18T15:09:00.002-05:002019-11-18T15:44:14.250-05:00Mr Rogers and Death Rituals by Witches<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<br />Tom the Tour Guide (Salem Witch Wiles)http://www.blogger.com/profile/04595637697583425642noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-470182137145872547.post-39677648772330809682016-02-19T11:42:00.001-05:002016-02-20T02:38:42.731-05:00A Salem Witch's Review of The VVitch <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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Local historians, business owners, and witches were invited to a special early screening of The Witch at <a href="http://cinemasalem.com/" target="_blank">Cinema Salem</a> followed by a panel with the director, Robert Eggers, and the star of the movie Anya Taylor-Joy along with a few of our local Salem experts.<br />
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(Left to right: Danvers town archivist Richard Trask, author of The Lace Reader Brunonia Barry, Anya Taylor Joy who plays Thomasin, Director Robert Eggers, and local historian, professor, and author Tad Baker)</div>
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I loved this movie too much to give the ending away, but in order to write this review I'll have to reveal one spoiler that happens within the first few minutes. From the trailers it seems like the baby going missing is the pivotal moment of the entire film and in a way it is. But the baby is dead. Thankfully this film spares the gore, but we know it's dead right from the beginning and there is no doubt about it. We know because we watched a naked old witch take a knife to his innocent body, grind him up in a mortar and pestle and bathe in his blood.<br />
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The first thing that struck me about this movie was the sound - the musical score sounds like broken string instruments made from dead trees - and the moments of abrupt silence. From the first scenes where we witness the family (who's surname we never learn) being banished from the unnamed colony, rolling away in a cart and settling an isolated plot in a far off place, the strange music sets a chaotic and unnerving pace. Along with the incessant creepy puritanical praying it's enough to help begin to immerse you into their perspective, particularly the teenage daughter Thomasin played by Anya Taylor-Joy, who it ends up is the protagonist..<br />
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Set in the 1630s, director Robert Eggers said he imagined their new settlement was located somewhere in southern New Hampshire and repeatedly discussed how important historical accuracy was while filming. Winning the award for directing in a US dramatic role at Sundance, his attention to detail payed off and A24 picked up his film for national distribution immediately afterwards. Taylor-Joy described how funny it was for her to try on her meticulously accurate clothing for the first time saying "It would take like four people to dress someone!", Eggers described building period houses on the set and how he knew historians would criticize the way the wood was cut when it showed up so he had it all done over by hand, the language that the actors use is so authentic it will be difficult for some people to understand, even the title of the film uses the more historically accurate version of the letter w - which was often printed as VV when in upper case in titles. At a screening full of experts on colonial New England and the Puritans there was barely a complaint, but you could see Eggers really cared about the accuracy in the way he jokingly pointed out a couple flaws to us.<br />
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The one thing that is not historically accurate is the film's depiction of witchcraft, well in a way. It's not accurate to what witchcraft is today and what it's based on, and that was the biggest relief of the night. See, it's historically accurate to the idea of what a witch would be in the minds of these people during this time period. It's a great approach and something many films about new England and witches never even attempt. Where many writers and directors make the mistake of conflating the ideas of modern pagan based witchcraft with devil worship and Christian superstition from the middle ages and early modern era, this movie never crosses that line and masterfully creates the purely fictional and fantastical version of witchcraft that, to the Puritans was very very real. It's clear Eggers researched actual witch trials and based his concept for on the accuser's strange testimonies and confessions extracted through torture. Although, when asked he stated that he didn't read too much of the Salem witch trials but more about the many European witch crazes.<br />
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To religious fanatics like this the edge of the woods was a portal into evil, unbaptized babies go to hell, the devil was an actual entity, and when he shows up he tries to force you to sign his book. To fanatics like this a witch covers herself in flying ointment made with the baby's blood, mounts her riding pole, and flies into the full moon to the black sabbath. This is not a goofy bumbling hag, this is the first ACTUAL scary witch in a film in decades. To the local witches in the theater that was the biggest relief of the night, nothing in the film was offensive towards modern witches because this was very clearly based on the twisted fears of the time.<br />
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Most importantly, immersing us in the desolate cold landscape helps us to understand the most terrifying belief of all - when bad things happen there is always someone to blame.<br />
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Their hard life is earned and even the kids, especially Thomasin, toil on the farm. Of course when the baby goes missing under her care, mistrust in her is the first reaction of the rest of the family. They blame themselves and each other as the film escalates slowly at first - the corn being blighted, animals and the young children acting strangely, an egg being stillborn - and for a brief time we almost forget that the witch is real. Maybe their fear and paranoia will destroy them on its own like it did in 1692 in Salem. Maybe there wasn't a witch, maybe the accusations against Thomasin are true, maybe it's the father or the mother that is evil.<br />
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But that is short-lived, and the witch appears again to lure the adolescent son as a beautiful temptress, emerging from her hobbit hole leg first.<br />
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As things get weirder and weirder the pace set at the beginning - of tension and release in music, quick scene changes, and manic fluctuations in character demeanor - stays pretty constant. So the dramatic effect of a hard rain is enough to set your nerves on edge and when the characters really do start freaking out we are shocked but not surprised. We've been brought into their tiny world and know what they fear is real.<br />
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The real star of the movie, Charlie the goat plays Black Phillip (<a href="https://twitter.com/blackphillip" target="_blank">and he has a twitter</a>).</div>
Tom the Tour Guide (Salem Witch Wiles)http://www.blogger.com/profile/04595637697583425642noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-470182137145872547.post-16626433408970308632015-04-17T16:33:00.001-04:002016-02-19T11:52:08.233-05:00Ask A Salem Witch: Is Salem too Touristy?<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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Many people have a difficult time understanding how something as terrible as The Salem Witch Trials can be commercialized in our modern tourist industry.<br />
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Tom the Tour Guide (Salem Witch Wiles)http://www.blogger.com/profile/04595637697583425642noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-470182137145872547.post-84901273977974791922015-03-05T17:12:00.000-05:002016-02-19T11:53:25.709-05:00Converting to Witchcraft - Ask A Salem Witch [Video]Victims of witchcraft hysteria like in Salem in 1692 have been accused of converting to witchcraft in many strange ways - spitting on the cross, signing the Devil's book, and even kissing his ass!<br />
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Tom the Tour Guide (Salem Witch Wiles)http://www.blogger.com/profile/04595637697583425642noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-470182137145872547.post-25750369707961251992015-03-05T17:03:00.000-05:002016-02-19T11:54:23.858-05:00The Difference between Wicca and Witchcraft - Ask a Salem Witch [VIDEO]This is one of the most common questions a witch can get.<br />
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Many times, people will refer to me as a Wiccan, which I am not, and I wont even bother correcting them because I am so sick of explaining the difference. </div>
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Tom the Tour Guide (Salem Witch Wiles)http://www.blogger.com/profile/04595637697583425642noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-470182137145872547.post-70597149463853847632015-01-24T19:04:00.000-05:002016-02-19T11:55:34.524-05:00Real Witches Use Eye of Newt and Tongue of Dog??It's something most people hear about but never actually consider - if witches are real, do we actually use the strange ingredients you hear about in fairy tales and literature?<br />
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Should we lock up our pets?? What does this mean? WON'T SOMEONE THINK OF THE CHILDREN!? :p<br />
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But seriously, Tom the Tour Guide explains:<br />
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That's right, no need to worry. In fact, I'm even a vegetarian witch and my black cat's name is Brachleagh! Here's a video of him being annoyed with me:<br />
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<br />Tom the Tour Guide (Salem Witch Wiles)http://www.blogger.com/profile/04595637697583425642noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-470182137145872547.post-53091782941395904032015-01-20T17:53:00.003-05:002016-02-19T11:56:18.229-05:00Why is Salem Called "The Witch City"?<br />
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Many people wonder, is there were no witches in 1692, why is Salem called "The Witch City"? Shouldn't we be "The Hysteria City"? It's a horrible thing to say, but instead of a witch flying across the moon on a broomstick, would it not be more appropriate for the symbol for our city to be a lady hanging from a tree?<br />
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To understand why real witches are in Salem we first have to understand how we became known as "The Witch City".<br />
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<br />Tom the Tour Guide (Salem Witch Wiles)http://www.blogger.com/profile/04595637697583425642noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-470182137145872547.post-2829632386186206872015-01-11T21:48:00.000-05:002015-01-11T21:48:14.149-05:00Ancient Gods and the Names for the Days of the Week<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<br />Tom the Tour Guide (Salem Witch Wiles)http://www.blogger.com/profile/04595637697583425642noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-470182137145872547.post-46146584438792535612015-01-11T18:00:00.001-05:002015-01-11T21:36:49.589-05:00Salem 2014: The Witch City's Year in Photos<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
SALEM 2014</div>
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<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-mbJryeNcZLc/VLMCLKAxeZI/AAAAAAAAAcw/IF5Z75a93tY/s1600/salemmm.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-mbJryeNcZLc/VLMCLKAxeZI/AAAAAAAAAcw/IF5Z75a93tY/s1600/salemmm.jpg" height="118" width="320" /></a></div>
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2014 was fantastic for Salem and I figured the best way to commemorate the year was to compile my favorite moments using photos rather than a crappy top ten list! I know everyone hates reading and "has ADD" these days so lets get right to it!<br />
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Salem in the Media!</div>
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<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-rXIlR3bqTaE/VLG1zwY480I/AAAAAAAAAYw/rFP4933lICw/s1600/1016310_750779718275029_111925741_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-rXIlR3bqTaE/VLG1zwY480I/AAAAAAAAAYw/rFP4933lICw/s1600/1016310_750779718275029_111925741_n.jpg" height="320" width="215" /></a></div>
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<i><span style="font-size: x-small;">The promotional posters for WGN's <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Salem_%28TV_series%29" target="_blank">SALEM</a> are cooler than the actual show</span></i></div>
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The most prominent mention of Salem in the media for the year was related to the new show on <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/WGN-TV" target="_blank">WGN</a>, which was by most accounts a huge letdown. Honestly, my Salem witch friends and I like the show because we weren't expecting it to be historically accurate. I love the campiness. If you know it's all in fun and know what you're getting yourself into it's a decent show.</div>
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<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-uC0cLIW9Q94/VLG3L6vOvaI/AAAAAAAAAY8/97ij4p0Rb3w/s1600/10003523_748900495129618_1803942156_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-uC0cLIW9Q94/VLG3L6vOvaI/AAAAAAAAAY8/97ij4p0Rb3w/s1600/10003523_748900495129618_1803942156_n.jpg" height="240" width="320" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: x-small;"><i>Why do animators always make the Puritans so adorable?</i></span></div>
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The second most popular mention of Salem in the media this year was definitely the cult game hit "<a href="http://www.blankmediagames.com/" target="_blank">Town of Salem</a>". It's based on the "mafia" style game genre, which is reminiscent of Clue or other murder mystery games. To be honest, the setting of the game is completely incidental and irrelevant, but it's still cool that it's set in Salem. There are two other video games set in Salem that people were playing in 2014, and neither of them were particularly popular or groundbreaking, <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Murdered:_Soul_Suspect" target="_blank">Murdered: Soul Suspect</a> by Square-Enix was a terrible letdown.</div>
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<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-ip6Y0zTvZJs/VLLsqhf9gFI/AAAAAAAAAbo/Pu8F5M2fAV4/s1600/2015-01-09%2B17_58_16-Photo%2Bby%2Bsalemwitchwiles.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-ip6Y0zTvZJs/VLLsqhf9gFI/AAAAAAAAAbo/Pu8F5M2fAV4/s1600/2015-01-09%2B17_58_16-Photo%2Bby%2Bsalemwitchwiles.png" height="260" width="320" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: x-small;"><i>Why so serious?</i></span></div>
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And the most viral news story of 2014 was the sensationalist headline of a grave digger in Salem's oldest cemetery. In this picture from the cover of <a href="http://www.salemnews.com/" target="_blank">The Salem News</a> you can see by his expression that dude thinks all the media attention was hilarious. His story was that he was only trying to perform amateur archaeological excavation on two gravestone submerged beneath the soil that he alleged are his ancestors. "Yep, he's probably just insane" we all said. Well, it turns out we should all feel bad for laughing at the guy, his mother said <a href="http://www.salemnews.com/news/local_news/judge-orders-mental-health-evaluation-for-alleged-grave-digger/article_baaa563e-af43-5731-afed-10e033899f9b.html" target="_blank">in an interview</a> that he's literally schizophrenic and she had been trying to get him involuntarily committed for years because he wouldn't take his medication. Yikes. </div>
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What's been banished and what's sacred space?</div>
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<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-CJpUz_Xm-N4/VLG6c8OGEbI/AAAAAAAAAZI/d3Eqw5__ZvE/s1600/2015-01-09%2B18_02_41-salemwitchwiles%2Bon%2BInstagram.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-CJpUz_Xm-N4/VLG6c8OGEbI/AAAAAAAAAZI/d3Eqw5__ZvE/s1600/2015-01-09%2B18_02_41-salemwitchwiles%2Bon%2BInstagram.png" height="237" width="320" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: x-small;"><i>The end of an era</i></span></div>
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Everyone loved the big stacks and piles of books in Derby Square Bookstore, but anyone that spent any time in there could tell it was long overdue for an update - some of those stacks of books were kind of gross and smelly... To fill the void <a href="http://www.wickedgoodbookstore.com/" target="_blank">Wicked Good Books</a> opened, and I have only heard good things about them.</div>
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<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-41mpm8FEe4U/VLG8ZXrvOBI/AAAAAAAAAZU/fyN5Lauu8gg/s1600/10486467_806745122678488_6933705590397383390_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-41mpm8FEe4U/VLG8ZXrvOBI/AAAAAAAAAZU/fyN5Lauu8gg/s1600/10486467_806745122678488_6933705590397383390_n.jpg" height="320" width="240" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: x-small;"><i><a href="https://www.facebook.com/thecovenscottage" target="_blank">Coven's Cottage</a> opening day.</i></span></div>
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<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/--MpFk-W04xw/VLG9FMmc1-I/AAAAAAAAAZc/H-95D-aLPxM/s1600/10294385_788481444504856_7727720287395786697_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/--MpFk-W04xw/VLG9FMmc1-I/AAAAAAAAAZc/H-95D-aLPxM/s1600/10294385_788481444504856_7727720287395786697_n.jpg" height="320" width="240" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: x-small;"><i><a href="http://www.paganmoononline.com/" target="_blank">Pagan Moon</a> opening day.</i></span></div>
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Here are two of the new witch shops that opened on Essex street this year, The Coven's Cottage and Pagan Moon. I think that makes 7 authentic witchcraft stores within about a quarter mile. They're all doing very well and, if you ask me, the success of the stores on Essex street can be attributed not just to a general rise in tourism during the off-season, but a rising trend of interest in western paganism.</div>
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<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-8HgO7ZV-hZo/VLG9fWn2lPI/AAAAAAAAAZk/2LCUqbU6zjI/s1600/IMG_20141228_124724_579.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-8HgO7ZV-hZo/VLG9fWn2lPI/AAAAAAAAAZk/2LCUqbU6zjI/s1600/IMG_20141228_124724_579.jpg" /></a></div>
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Another place locals are very sad is closing.</div>
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Penelope's Pet Boutique is closing which is disappointing because they have the largest selection of dog Halloween costumes in the city. Sure there are other pet shops in town, but this one has become a staple.</div>
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Celebrity Salem!</div>
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This year, as always, we had lots of celebrities visiting Salem, here are just a few of my favorite!</div>
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<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-t1N6AyUrfGY/VLLyxirHv9I/AAAAAAAAAcg/zca5EpWccRI/s1600/10556476_745401048839356_2656444995595896775_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-t1N6AyUrfGY/VLLyxirHv9I/AAAAAAAAAcg/zca5EpWccRI/s1600/10556476_745401048839356_2656444995595896775_n.jpg" height="180" width="320" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: x-small;"><i>Katy Perry came to Salem to take <a href="http://www.witchwalk.com/" target="_blank">The Salem Witch Walk</a>! Here she is with Salem witches <a href="http://www.crowhavencorner.com/" target="_blank">Lorelei</a>, <a href="http://www.salemtarot.com/leannemarrama/" target="_blank">Leanne</a>, and <a href="http://www.keen.com/psychic-readings/love-relationships/jody-cabot/7740372" target="_blank">Jody Cabot</a>! (also the dogs Dolly, Chico, and Lucky!) She also went to <a href="http://www.salemwitchmuseum.com/" target="_blank">The Salem Witch Museum</a>.</i></span></div>
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<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-wF2zk3J1cLk/VLLakseuE_I/AAAAAAAAAZ0/hlH4zTTkWlI/s1600/10616661_867677433251923_1065849067869230283_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-wF2zk3J1cLk/VLLakseuE_I/AAAAAAAAAZ0/hlH4zTTkWlI/s1600/10616661_867677433251923_1065849067869230283_n.jpg" height="320" width="240" /></a></div>
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<i style="color: #141823; font-family: Helvetica, Arial, 'lucida grande', tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif; line-height: 18px; text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">Scottish actor <a href="http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0574615/" target="_blank">Graham McTavish</a>. He was in the area filming Disney's "The Finest Hour" with <a href="http://www.imdb.com/name/nm1517976/" target="_blank">Chris Pine</a>.</span></i></div>
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<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-9fn-Nt3RpA8/VLLak9jbJVI/AAAAAAAAAZ4/7hB0vrY-OGA/s1600/10660246_855191447833855_4341042712807970271_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-9fn-Nt3RpA8/VLLak9jbJVI/AAAAAAAAAZ4/7hB0vrY-OGA/s1600/10660246_855191447833855_4341042712807970271_n.jpg" height="320" width="320" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: x-small;"><i><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ben_Vereen" target="_blank">Ben Vereen</a> was spotted on Essex street this September! </i></span></div>
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If you're not a fan of musical theatre and dance, you might not understand why us drama geeks got so excited that Ben Vereen graced Salem with his almighty presence. </div>
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<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-hWFx8C10eLo/VLLalW07KBI/AAAAAAAAAaA/VaANSIu46EM/s1600/april%2B9.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-hWFx8C10eLo/VLLalW07KBI/AAAAAAAAAaA/VaANSIu46EM/s1600/april%2B9.jpg" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: x-small;"><i><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ren%C3%A9e_Zellweger" target="_blank">Renee Zellweger</a> with the guy fromthe cafe, <a href="https://www.facebook.com/jahocoffee?ref=br_tf" target="_blank">Jaho</a>. I couldn't figure out why she was in town, most likely just relaxing.</i></span></div>
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<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-Gc_aalqabxQ/VLLmopjpa-I/AAAAAAAAAbA/sTYmR8vv6fs/s1600/10256531_799119416774392_4606499737764689704_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-Gc_aalqabxQ/VLLmopjpa-I/AAAAAAAAAbA/sTYmR8vv6fs/s1600/10256531_799119416774392_4606499737764689704_n.jpg" height="320" width="320" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: x-small;"><i>Boston celebrity <a href="https://www.facebook.com/welovekeytarbear" target="_blank">Keytar Bear</a> at <a href="http://www.gulugulucafe.com/" target="_blank">Gulu Gulu</a> in Salem!</i></span></div>
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<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-6m1E7GKnORY/VLLalVf9XBI/AAAAAAAAAaE/R4sw4ohVmjg/s1600/PicsArt_1403110102819.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-6m1E7GKnORY/VLLalVf9XBI/AAAAAAAAAaE/R4sw4ohVmjg/s1600/PicsArt_1403110102819.jpg" height="320" width="320" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: x-small;"><i>OMG OMG IS IT REALLY HER!</i></span></div>
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And my favorite celebrity appearance in Salem this year was <a href="https://www.google.com/search?q=elizabeth+warren&rlz=1C1AVNG_enUS622US622&oq=elizabeth&aqs=chrome.1.69i57j0l5.4748j0j4&sourceid=chrome&es_sm=122&ie=UTF-8" target="_blank">Elizabeth Warren</a>, my champion. Obviously. Yes, this is me fanboying with her taking a selfie. Luckily, <a href="http://socialpalatesphotography.com/" target="_blank">John</a> from <a href="http://www.creativesalem.com/" target="_blank">Creative Salem</a> got a photo of the photo so I could create this meta collage. This is how the conversation went </div>
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ME: "Hello, have you ever met a Salem witch before?"</div>
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HER: (Smiling and noddling excitedly) "Well, no, I have not!"</div>
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ME: "Well now you have, let's take a selfie!"</div>
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Her: "OK!"</div>
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It was basically the highlight of my life even though I was slightly disappointed she was here to endorse the old Democrat guy rather than the new progressive guy, but it's cool because he won anyways. </div>
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My Favorite Police Logs</div>
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Presented without comment, here are my three favorite police log entries from Salem this year!</div>
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<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-Zy4_kAi3to4/VLLiDQv1DCI/AAAAAAAAAag/FHnkDJbOU2s/s1600/10530749_10202596196366198_3925055149433674190_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-Zy4_kAi3to4/VLLiDQv1DCI/AAAAAAAAAag/FHnkDJbOU2s/s1600/10530749_10202596196366198_3925055149433674190_n.jpg" height="295" width="320" /></a></div>
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<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-iHdPYALcFMk/VLLiC5lIqLI/AAAAAAAAAac/4kCFOn6VylQ/s1600/10547603_10202577061167830_1656250770613533125_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-iHdPYALcFMk/VLLiC5lIqLI/AAAAAAAAAac/4kCFOn6VylQ/s1600/10547603_10202577061167830_1656250770613533125_n.jpg" height="320" width="282" /></a></div>
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<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-H7qlJAVaMQQ/VLLiD6lZkZI/AAAAAAAAAao/O50uSxMCPlg/s1600/Bys1JhECAAEkMoN.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-H7qlJAVaMQQ/VLLiD6lZkZI/AAAAAAAAAao/O50uSxMCPlg/s1600/Bys1JhECAAEkMoN.jpg" height="259" width="320" /></a></div>
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Vampire Steve and the Street Preachers</div>
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<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-iJyy2sSKWrA/VLLikNUwrzI/AAAAAAAAAa0/6u2rZGUbsxM/s1600/IMG_20141012_143624.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-iJyy2sSKWrA/VLLikNUwrzI/AAAAAAAAAa0/6u2rZGUbsxM/s1600/IMG_20141012_143624.jpg" height="320" width="320" /></a></div>
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<i><span style="font-size: x-small;">Vampire Steve being fucking badass.</span></i></div>
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Most local's favorite story of the year was the turf feud between the street preachers and street performers. The basic gist of the feud is that street performers have to pay the city for licensing and have always been good about developing good relationships with the residents and business owners in the area, whereas the street preachers don't need to pay, and constantly harass people and cause problems. It's not a matter of free speech, the street preachers can say whatever they want, the issue is that they are rude, loud, offensive, and they create an atmosphere of anarchy in the already busy streets.</div>
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Vampire Steve became somewhat of a hero of Essex street by standing his ground and telling them off multiple times. He's not a hero though, he's just out there trying to live his life and be a fucking awesome vampire smoking cigarettes and making witty remarks. Also worth noting, he has gotten many nicknames in town and there seems to be some confusion about his costume - which is his own take on <a href="https://www.google.com/search?q=mr+barlow+salem%27s+lot&rlz=1C1AVNG_enUS622US622&oq=mr+barlow+salem&aqs=chrome.1.69i57j0l2.5650j0j7&sourceid=chrome&es_sm=122&ie=UTF-8" target="_blank">Mr. Barlow</a> from Salem's Lot.</div>
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Anyways, this one guy who likes to create videos got a couple of really good moments that are worth mentioning. <a href="http://youtu.be/LLftyVERet8" target="_blank">Here is his video of Vampire Steve righteously telling off a preacher</a>, for more check out his Youtube channel.</div>
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Historic Renovations</div>
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Many of the important historical sites around the city have been getting repairs this year, too many to document. </div>
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<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-CbdVSQgXO1E/VLLpYJDydqI/AAAAAAAAAbQ/EDAzQ2MWzGI/s1600/IMG_20140502_123937.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-CbdVSQgXO1E/VLLpYJDydqI/AAAAAAAAAbQ/EDAzQ2MWzGI/s1600/IMG_20140502_123937.jpg" height="320" width="320" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: x-small;"><i>Working on Salem's City Hall</i></span></div>
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<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-UxHFnKsxdOI/VLLpwGf8pbI/AAAAAAAAAbc/jdxRUc9jlms/s1600/10300299_811186355567698_2787185945613042496_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-UxHFnKsxdOI/VLLpwGf8pbI/AAAAAAAAAbc/jdxRUc9jlms/s1600/10300299_811186355567698_2787185945613042496_n.jpg" height="240" width="320" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: x-small;"><i>The city wanted to get rid of it, but people raised their voices and the town square fountain sculpture was instead fixed up and made smaller so it wouldn't keep getting in the way of emergency and delivery vehicles. Locals are worried it's just another step towards Essex street becoming less pedestrian.</i></span></div>
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Other Noteworthy Moments</div>
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<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-bsOC9htDseY/VLLvOPksnrI/AAAAAAAAAcE/KNp2dnL9muc/s1600/1013513_722292907790377_457842098_n.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-bsOC9htDseY/VLLvOPksnrI/AAAAAAAAAcE/KNp2dnL9muc/s1600/1013513_722292907790377_457842098_n.png" height="231" width="320" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: x-small;"><i>Salem witch trials historian <a href="http://thedailyshow.cc.com/videos/8xvsnm/marilynne-roach" target="_blank">Marilynne Roach was on The Daily Show</a> and when the Salem Witch Museum posted about it look what picture came up. LOL Sorry, I'm wicked immature sometimes.</i></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: x-small;"><i>I asked Vampire Steve to pose next to an antique car during the show on Essex street.</i></span></div>
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<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-Hz3RscuGbWQ/VLLvMWcNmFI/AAAAAAAAAb4/bHmjyoQDGW0/s1600/IMG_20141019_131623_559.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-Hz3RscuGbWQ/VLLvMWcNmFI/AAAAAAAAAb4/bHmjyoQDGW0/s1600/IMG_20141019_131623_559.jpg" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: x-small;"><i>Motorcycles completely taking over Derby street during this October's <a href="http://www2.mda.org/site/Calendar?id=102681&view=Detail" target="_blank">Halloween Witch Ride</a> for the <a href="http://mda.org/" target="_blank">MDA</a>.</i></span></div>
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<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-py4IIe4DGcQ/VLLvQbKi60I/AAAAAAAAAcU/ncv6JvUDEUU/s1600/IMG_20141025_150305_739.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-py4IIe4DGcQ/VLLvQbKi60I/AAAAAAAAAcU/ncv6JvUDEUU/s1600/IMG_20141025_150305_739.jpg" height="240" width="320" /></a></div>
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<i><span style="font-size: x-small;"><a href="http://www.crowhavencorner.com/" target="_blank">Lorelei</a>, <a href="http://www.christianday.com/" target="_blank">Christian Day</a> and his new husband <a href="http://www.salemtarot.com/psychic.html?psychic=93685&namehdr=Brian%20Cain&hdr=" target="_blank">Brian</a> looking wicked cool posing for a photographer from <a href="http://www.bostonglobe.com/metro/2014/10/29/witch-brews-controversy-salem/jSXUTWGRFilxNw9RqArWNP/story.html" target="_blank">The Boston Globe</a> this October. Moments after this picture was taken oneof the dogs started barking and freaking out, gotta love chihuahuas! </span></i></div>
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<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-42yVhjdYCX4/VLLvPZF4KmI/AAAAAAAAAcM/jkioN3wkT9E/s1600/IMG_20141212_201912_262.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-42yVhjdYCX4/VLLvPZF4KmI/AAAAAAAAAcM/jkioN3wkT9E/s1600/IMG_20141212_201912_262.jpg" height="240" width="320" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: x-small;"><i>A decent turnout for a march and candlelight vigil in honor of Mike Brown and other black lives lost to police violence. </i></span></div>
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So what did I miss? Too much has been happening for me to even keep track. It's been a great year for the city and 2015 is looking to be even better!</div>
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</script>Tom the Tour Guide (Salem Witch Wiles)http://www.blogger.com/profile/04595637697583425642noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-470182137145872547.post-17974808120693693932014-09-01T01:51:00.001-04:002015-01-11T21:42:26.817-05:00Leaving offerings for Robin Williams and Kurt Cobain<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<br />Tom the Tour Guide (Salem Witch Wiles)http://www.blogger.com/profile/04595637697583425642noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-470182137145872547.post-3898367929865245382013-12-19T19:02:00.000-05:002014-01-10T13:28:32.192-05:00The Internet is Saying "Witches are the new Vampires" <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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We finally have a teaser trailer for WGN's new series, SALEM. </div>
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The show got funded straight to it's first season without a pilot and is WGN's first original series so it might be a little budget, but it sure looks like they're putting a lot of time and energy into it. They are filming on a set designed to look like 17th century Salem built like a ghost town in Shreveport, LA. There's a cemetery, public square, church, and of course, the gallows. Its located on the Red River, which apparently is a great place to film scenes of accused witches being dunked.</div>
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With Salem witches playing a prominent role in shows like 'American Horror Story: Coven' and two separate reality shows in production focusing on the lives of average witches in The Witch City, it's starting to get a little crazy. Articles around the internet are saying things like "Witches are the new vampires!" But is it just a fad?<br />
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There are two different production companies trolling Craigslist, Reddit, etc. looking for local witches for reality shows, of course trying to stay ahead of the curve and ride the wave of the trend. Unfortunately, like most reality shows, they have a warped and idealized view about what exactly they want to film, asking for replies only from young women.<br />
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I wish I had the means to produce a documentary show about Salem, there's so much real magic and so many hilarious people to focus on, but what the '"reality show" types don't understand is that an authentic and intelligent show has a much more dedicated demographic - nerds. Sure, the assholes from Duck Dynasty can make lots of money really fast, but it's fleeting. Real success comes only from the types of dedicated fans that appreciate not being pandered to. IMHO.</div>
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Even Jenji Kohan, creator of Netflix's 'Orange is the New Black', and Showtime's 'Weeds' is developing a new untitled drama for HBO based on the Salem witch trials and with the insane critical and commercial success of those two shows, it's hard to imagine that her show is going to be anything but amazing. It's also worth noting that, while WGN's show claims to involve the supernatural, it seems so far that Kohan's Salem is being toted as 'drama', so here's hoping it will be a completely different angle than what we are used to. </div>
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Here's the teaser trailer:</div>
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Tom the Tour Guide (Salem Witch Wiles)http://www.blogger.com/profile/04595637697583425642noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-470182137145872547.post-55976692932902369252013-09-14T14:05:00.000-04:002013-10-16T19:20:40.045-04:00What Salem Businesses have been Banished and which are Sacred Space? 2013 Edition<div style="color: #222222; font-family: arial; font-size: small;">
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Maybe all the ghost tours should start mentioning that every time a restaurant tries to open up in the Lyceum building it fails... It could it be a new story they call The Curse of Bridget Bishop?</div>
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Keeping a business open in Salem is very difficult, the downtown district is like a wild garden. Every year I see all the storefronts shifting and blinking, fading and blooming with enterprise and the hope of success. Some make it and some don't. </div>
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Some are banished and others become sacred space.</div>
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Witch Shops<span style="font-size: x-small;"> - Most of the local witch shops are doing great this year, and a few new ones are in town.</span><br />
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<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-Tal20rf3ZC8/UjSdF5zxh7I/AAAAAAAAAWQ/AOmKYj7dDWA/s1600/1174843_638042099548792_1248412179_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="color: black;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-Tal20rf3ZC8/UjSdF5zxh7I/AAAAAAAAAWQ/AOmKYj7dDWA/s320/1174843_638042099548792_1248412179_n.jpg" width="240" /></span></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: xx-small;"><i>Archangel Michael holding down the spot at Magicka.</i></span></div>
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Things are getting confusing for tourists when they visit Pickering Wharf now that two well-respected local elders with similar sounding names are teaching classes and doing readings out of their new spaces! Firstly, the famous Laurie Cabot has some students that opened up a shop called <a href="https://www.facebook.com/EnchantedShops" target="_blank">Enchanted</a>, where she can sometimes be found, but Lori Bruno, who has also become a local fixture in recent years, had just opened up her new shop <a href="http://www.magika.org/" target="_blank">Magicka</a> in the space previously left open by Laurie Cabot when her shop "The Official Witch" shut down. </div>
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<span style="font-size: xx-small;">The Salem Witch House, often confused for a witch shop.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: arial; font-size: x-small;">Crow Haven Corner, Laurie Cabot's old shop on Essex Street, has been owned by a student/friend of hers ALSO named Laurie, who goes by Lorelei to try to avoid confusion. Tourists already get so bewildered I don't know how they are going to handle this further Laurie/Lori complication! Regardless, I wish the best to both of them. They are each in their own way the epitome of what we expect for and love in an elder.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: x-small;">The big three witch shops on Essex street (<a href="http://www.crowhavencorner.com/" target="_blank">Crow</a>, </span><a href="https://www.hexwitch.com/" style="font-size: small;" target="_blank">Hex</a><span style="font-size: x-small;">, and </span><a href="http://www.omensalem.com/" style="font-size: small;" target="_blank">Omen</a><span style="font-size: x-small;">) are doing great. Word is that Hex New Orleans is doing great as well, people are joking saying soon it will be a franchise and we'll see a Hex in every mall, like Hot Topic. </span></div>
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Also, it ends up that the guys from the World of Witches Museum that failed last year left town while they still owed a bunch of their employees money. Their whole "<a href="http://salemwitchwiles.blogspot.com/2011/07/on-metaphysical-reality-and-reality-of.html" target="_blank">Young Witches of Salem</a>" reality show idea ended up being a huge embarrassment of a failure so they blamed the city and left.</div>
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Same thing just happened with another guy who moved to Salem and suddenly started acting like he was an important witch and demanding respect. After a couple years of sashaying around downtown he opened up a shop and when it failed he blamed the city. The thing is, the witches around here are already established, successful, and respected - you can not just barge into the city and begin speaking on behalf of all Salem witches. It's a recipe for failure. Anyone with a successful witch shop in this city has lived around here for decades.</div>
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From the outside they may just look like a bunch of crazy people but that's only because Salem witches have to deal with so much ridiculous nonsense all the time and they have learned to to take it in stride and have fun with it. And that is what they are teaching me to do. After all, our mission is to educate people on our craft and in some cases entertain as well. You can't be grumpy and do that, you have to laugh!</div>
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Restaurants<span style="font-size: x-small;"> - Honestly I'm getting really annoyed with all the people who keep trying to open up restaurants in Salem that are just slightly too classy for our local atmosphere, but their successes and failures make a really interesting competitive local restaurant economy. This year a bunch of boring classy restaurants have opened or are opening up, but I want to move on to more interesting things like cupcakes, candy, and ice cream.</span></div>
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This sign is on the window across the street from my apartment on Washington st.:</div>
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We have a few very good places to get local baked goods like a & J kings and coffee time, but is this going to be a shop devoted specifically to cupcakes? That is something unique in Salem but becoming a trend in many cities across the country, so you know it is a sure-fire business plan, kind of like food trucks. When is Salem going to start getting food trucks? I'm telling you there's money in that.</div>
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We also have a new candy shop on Essex Street called Sugar Rush(no website yet). it offers some different things than the other candy shops in town but is pretty standard. it's an awesome location so they will do it extremely well, I mean you can't go wrong with candy.</div>
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And, as if we didn't have enough ice cream shops, <a href="https://www.facebook.com/pages/The-Salem-Screamery/131540697029047" target="_blank">Salem Screamery</a> opened up where Ben and Jerry's used to be. They have some unique flavors but for the most part get their ice cream from <a href="http://www.richardsonsicecream.com.php53-7.dfw1-1.websitetestlink.com/" target="_blank">Richardson's</a> like all the other places in town, which is the favorite dairy of most locals.</div>
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Tourist attractions<span style="font-size: x-small;"> - This year one of the haunted houses in the mall is shut down, and another on Essex Street stopped being haunted and it changed its subject to general Salem history. Another one on the wharf keeps changing and no one can quite figure out what it is. During high season a few more places will become haunted house attractions, but right now there is only one in the city, <a href="http://witchmansion.com/" target="_blank">The Witch Mansion</a>. We'll see how this develops as October approaches.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: xx-small;"><i>Salem's 3D Time Machine tour museum thingy.</i></span></div>
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The haunted house <a href="http://salems13ghosts.com/" target="_blank">13 Ghosts</a> has been changed into a really cute and cheesy history tour thing that I surprisingly enjoyed and hope tourists check out. It looks like a college kid constructed it with a low budget, but has a lot of heart, takes like 15 minutes and mentions a lot of random Salem history in a way tourists can easily understand. It also looks as though it can easily be converted into a haunted house for when it gets busy.</div>
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The Griffin Theater has now re-branded itself as the <a href="http://gallowshillsalem.com/" target="_blank">Gallows Hill Theate</a>r. I can only assume this is a conscious effort to confuse tourists into going there. </div>
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Pioneer Village has been neglected and utilized on and off throughout the years, and this year an enthusiastic group of people is planning a "haunted event" called <a href="https://www.facebook.com/TerrorAtTheVillage" target="_blank">Terror at the Village</a>:</div>
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The city is buzzing with energy and about to bubble over as we get closer to October. At any moment most business downtown could disappear for any reason - but some seem blessed, some seem lucky, and others are sacred space.</div>
Tom the Tour Guide (Salem Witch Wiles)http://www.blogger.com/profile/04595637697583425642noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-470182137145872547.post-70200515824602658062013-04-22T13:04:00.000-04:002013-04-22T13:04:30.364-04:00You Want "Lords of Salem" Spoilers? You Got them. My Full Review.If you're looking for spoilers I can imagine you've already read a few plot synopsis', so let's cut right to the spoilers chase. .If you've read my previous posts, please excuse me for repeating a bit of the information here and please excuse me for leaking information about the movie which was later changed. ANYWAYS...<br />
<br />
Firstly,
you've probably read that this movie is a departure from Rob Zombie's
usual work, but you may not understand how severely different it is.
It's hard to even classify this as a horror movie, and we'll have to
wait a while before general consensus chooses exactly what genre it is.
It is very slow moving and relies more on creeping you out than
in-your-face gore. When hearing people compare this movie to other
horror directors over the past week I have heard dozens of names. I
think it's fair to say Rob was deliberately paying homage to the genre
rather than "ripping off" other styles.<br />
<br />
When Heidi
begins to have her visions after playing the mysterious record, it was
really sad to watch her degenerate. One of the witches describes to her
the difference between destiny and fate and I think the audience is
supposed to ascertain from that that she has no chance of escaping her
fate as the chosen one to give birth to the Anti-Christ. ...That I can
understand, but watching her relapse and start smoking crack was
probably the most depressing part of the movie. (On a side-note, locals
were wondering why the film crew was shooting in the ghetto part of
Salem known as "The Point", and appropriately enough, this is where she
goes to buy said crack!) In one of the most disturbing scenes, Heidi seeks solace in <a href="http://salemwitchwiles.blogspot.com/2011/09/rob-zombies-latest-visit-to-salem-for.html">a church</a> only to fall asleep and have a
dream sequence where she is orally raped by a priest while he screams
Satanic prayers and black ooze spurts from his mouth. <br />
<br />
A
lot of what was <a href="http://salemwitchwiles.blogspot.com/2011/11/rob-zombie-in-salem-november-2011.html">leaked</a> from the plot ended up being cut from the final
product during editing. As I've mentioned previously, this included a
lot of murder scenes, like the one in <a href="http://salemwitchwiles.blogspot.com/2012/10/zombies-zombie-and-halloween-in-witch.html">Engine House Pizza</a>, and <a href="http://salemwitchwiles.blogspot.com/p/familiar.html">Lobster Joe</a> - who's character was cut completely.<br />
<br />
It was also a
bit disappointing that <a href="http://robzombie.com/2013/02/deadline-com-airs-exclusive-clip-from-the-lords-of-salem/">one of the clips</a> Rob chose to leak from the
movie is a huge spoiler for the only real murder scene in the entire
movie, that of author and local historian Francis Mathias (played by
Bruce Davison). He is the only one who realizes something strange is
going on but, even as he begins to unravel the mystery of the Lords,
anyone who anticipated the movie and saw the clip knows he never stands a
chance against these <a href="http://robzombie.com/2013/04/meg-foster-speaks-about-the-lords-of-salem/">nudist hags</a>.<br />
<br />
As Heidi's
visions get uncontrollable and her friends lose control of her
completely, the audience is treated to the final parts of the movie,
which are essentially Rob Zombie's take on strange Satanic rituals
spliced with short scenes of reality where fellow radio show host Herman
'Whitey' Salvador (played by Jeffrey Daniel Phillips) tries in vain to
help even though he has no clue what is going on. The witches get less
frightening and more happy as they seem to revel in the ecstasy of the
horror around them. Heidi meets a strange midget chicken-winged goblin
thing, <a href="http://robzombie.com/2013/04/rob-zombie-tells-empire-magazine-i-dont-believe-the-bad-stuff-or-the-good-stuff/">phantoms dressed as catholic bishops</a> sit on thrones and fondle
large purple dildos, Heidi rides a goat, dry-humps a dude dressed like a
black metal mall rat, and finally gives birth to the Antichrist, which
looks equal parts mandrake root, insect, and starfish. The witches
praise Satan, half the audience gets confused as hell as the entire
thing collapses in on itself and turns into a White Zombie video with
melting cartoon Jesus' on crucifixes. <br />
<br />
I assume in
the original plot, the record hypnotizes the women descended from the
people of Old Salem and each of them commits a murder while possessed,
but in the final product we just see them begin to get hypnotized and
then appear right at the end alive wearing the strange animal masks, and
then to the final shot of Heidi Hawthorne standing on a pile of their
dead bodies dressed as the Anti-Virgin-Mary as Velvet Underground's "All
Tomorrow's Parties" plays. Definitely the best shot of the movie, I bet
it took hours to get it perfect.<br />
<br />
I have heard a few
people say things like "How can you like that movie? I couldn't even
take it seriously it was so bad!" And my response to that is that people
who dislike Lords of Salem are the ones taking it too seriously.<br />
<br />
The fucking movie was hilarious.<br />
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Tom the Tour Guide (Salem Witch Wiles)http://www.blogger.com/profile/04595637697583425642noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-470182137145872547.post-10417432939891170872013-04-21T16:17:00.000-04:002013-04-22T13:05:53.983-04:00Lords of Salem's East Coast Premiere in Salem MA, American Horror Story: Coven, and Wicked Witches!<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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Usually tourist season doesn't pick up until April, but this year things started early and it was starting to begin in March. It might have something to do with some of the high profile projects involving Salem in the media recently.<br />
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There are three major things:<br />
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The first is last week's premiere of Rob Zombie's Lords of Salem at Cinema Salem.<br />
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We have been anticipating this movie since we first heard about it back in <a href="http://salemwitchwiles.blogspot.com/2011/03/god-hates-lords-of-salem-rob-zombie.html">March '11</a>, (edit: Actually, we learned about the idea when Rob started mentioning it during interviews in Fall '10)and it seems like a lot of locals got their hopes up and were expecting something a bit different. I loved the movie but general consensus in Salem is very negative, which disappoints me. I found the whole thing visually stunning, and even if there was a lack of character development and cohesive story line, the plot itself was fantastic. And hilarious. I love cheesy horror films and this one put a huge smile on my face throughout the entire thing.<br />
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The only thing that really disappointed me personally about the film was reading so much about it for the past few years only to see the final product and realize how much was cut during editing. A lot of it was important to deepening the plot, but I guess Rob figured in the end that the movie just had too many characters. Christopher Knight (aka Peter Brady)'s character, <a href="http://salemwitchwiles.blogspot.com/2011/11/rob-zombie-in-salem-november-2011.html">Lobster Joe</a>, was cut entirely. Also, a lot of locals were waiting for the murder scene we had learned would happen in<a href="http://salemwitchwiles.blogspot.com/2012/10/zombies-zombie-and-halloween-in-witch.html"> Engine House Pizza</a>, but that was cut as well.<br />
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I'll write a more detailed synopsis and update soon! [edit: <a href="http://salemwitchwiles.blogspot.com/2013/04/you-want-lords-of-salem-spoilers-you.html">And here it is</a>! Spoilers]<br />
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The second thing that's had people talking about Salem recently is "American Horror Story: Coven". When Kathy Bates was added to the cast, actor Dylan McDermott was asked how perfect she was for the cast and slipped saying "She really is. All the witches of Salem... There's plenty of them!"<br />
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The thought of Kathy Bates playing a Salem witch had us all so excited we thought we could die, but then director Ryan Murphy smashed our dreams by saying the season would be filmed in New Orleans. Don't give up hope yet, though, Murphy also stated that the show would be about "multiple cities" and they could really film anywhere. He is also on record saying he wants it to include "horror romance" and it will be set in "modern day".<br />
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The final exciting thing happening in Salem is the one that a lot of people aren't even aware of. For a while now film crews have been sneaking in and out of town to visit <a href="http://www.christianday.com/">Christian Day</a>, <a href="http://www.crowhavencorner.net/">Lorelei</a>, and all their minions and film for the upcoming TLC reality show that I'm hearing might be titled "Wicked Witches". I have a lot of insider information on the show that I'm not going to disclose because it's more fun if things are a surprise, but I can tell you that I really don't think a reality show about witches is going to embarrass witchcraft as much as people are speculating. It's just a TV show, and it's just for fun and the most important thing to remember is that, although they make money off witchcraft, these people are truly authentic witches bringing REAL witchcraft to the masses. It sounds like the stuff they're filming is hilarious and awesome. People are saying the show might come out in May, I have no idea.<br />
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Quick loose ends news round-up:<br />
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<span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: 'lucida grande', tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif; line-height: 18px; text-align: left;">Because of cancellations at Boston Comic Con, Jason David Frank, the original green Power Ranger was at </span><a data-hovercard="/ajax/hovercard/user.php?id=100001549285652&extragetparams=%7B%22group_id%22%3A0%7D" href="https://www.facebook.com/harrisons.comics?group_id=0" style="background-color: white; color: #3b5998; cursor: pointer; font-family: 'lucida grande', tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif; line-height: 18px; text-align: left;">Harrison's Comics</a><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: 'lucida grande', tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif; line-height: 18px; text-align: left;"> in Salem! This is the extremely long line to meet him.</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: 'lucida grande', tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif; line-height: 18px; text-align: left;">(photo by John Andrews of <a href="https://www.facebook.com/SocialPalates">Social Palates</a>)</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: 'lucida grande', tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif; line-height: 18px; text-align: left;">Estimates are that approximately 2,500 people turned out to the event on Salem Commons to support the victims of the Boston Marathon bombings.</span></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: 'lucida grande', tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif; line-height: 14px;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">Behind the scenes at Salem Film Fest. Amy Finkel, director of 'Furever' is interviewed before the screening of her film.</span></span></div>
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And last but not least, the sixth annual Salem Festival was absolutely huge this year, selling out most shows and playing some amazing documentaries.</div>
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Tom the Tour Guide (Salem Witch Wiles)http://www.blogger.com/profile/04595637697583425642noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-470182137145872547.post-92229051802385799682012-11-13T16:17:00.001-05:002012-11-13T20:37:12.805-05:00October is Over - Camera Crews Descend<div><div style="text-align: center;">
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<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-JL-ollxc8Zk/UKKtulgEKgI/AAAAAAAAASY/vSYRsfcH3xY/s1600/tree.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-JL-ollxc8Zk/UKKtulgEKgI/AAAAAAAAASY/vSYRsfcH3xY/s320/tree.jpg" width="240" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: x-small;"><i>Not sure if it's an official rule or not, but I noticed Cabot trained witches always put their holiday trees up November 1st!</i></span></div>
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With the holiday on a Wednesday and the threat of hurricane Sandy, this year only about 40,000 people came to the Witch City for Halloween night. Compared to previous years that's nothing, but it still means the population of the city doubled for one night. Things got insane either way and I saw so many hilarious costumes, even one guy I thought was dressed as Vermin Supreme that ended up <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=daJZp1taYXQ">actually being him</a>! The previous Saturday may have been just as busy and most of the best Halloween parties happened the weekend before.<br />
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<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-fzLJxgYoGrE/UKKv8L_QyLI/AAAAAAAAASg/F8hK4SAcvjg/s1600/ballllll.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-fzLJxgYoGrE/UKKv8L_QyLI/AAAAAAAAASg/F8hK4SAcvjg/s320/ballllll.jpg" width="240" /></a></div>
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I went to <a href="http://www.festivalofthedead.com/witchesball/index.htm">The Official Salem Witches' Ball</a> for the first time this year. People come from all over the world and spend lots of money for tickets so it's considered one of the coolest parties in all of witchdom. I'm a big fan of the DJ that works the night and his playlist had a good amount of appropriately witchy songs mixed in with the poppy dance stuff. It's kind of like a classy rave with a ritual in the middle. Lot's of strange people and strange things happening. The costume contest theme was "Witch and Famous" and the woman that won was the Wicked Witch of the West on a huge stilt-like contraption that stood towering above the rest of the crowd the entire night. My personal choice for best costume was the girl who was dressed as Laurie Cabot - her hair and glasses were perfect and I was surprised so many people didn't recognize the costume! It was adorable!<br />
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<span style="font-size: x-small;"><i>Bloody vampire of some sort on Essex st near the Peabody Essex Museum.</i></span></div>
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Now that October is over it's boring in town... but the perfect time for film crews to sweep in and shoot. One was shooting a small independent movie where a dying vampire was getting fake blood all over Essex St.<br />
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<span style="font-size: x-small;"><i>Crew setting up in front of <a href="http://www.crowhavencorner.net/">Crow Haven Corner</a>.</i></span></div>
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Christian Day, Lorelei, and Lori Bruno started filming for their much anticipated reality show last week. Word on the street is it's for TLC, so Honey Boo Boo is going to have some competition next year! I am so worried that these guys are just out to make all my bosses look crazy, but they are all grown adults and knew what they were getting themselves into! Once this show airs there are going to be so many haters with stupid loud opinions. ...I'm sure there will be lots to write about and tons of rumors to dismiss. The folks at TMZ will be lifting stories from my blog, no doubt!</div>
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<a href="http://gan.doubleclick.net/gan_click?lid=41000613802463524&pid=20043322&adurl=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.cafepress.com%2Fmf%2F6840541%2Freality-tv-junkie_tshirt%3Fcmp%3Dpfc--f--us--002--20043322%26sourcecode%3Daffiliate%26pid%3D6673073%26utm_cp_signal%3D382&usg=AFHzDLs5Zfdrkg0XxZgqATg9rjQArNJt1A&pubid=589841" rel="nofollow">Reality Tv Junkie T-Shirt (Google Affiliate Ad)</a></div>
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<span style="font-size: x-small;"><i>Crews filming the wicked witches in <a href="http://fuckyoupapyrus.tumblr.com/post/34335214546/fuck-you-rockafellas-via-futurebear">Rockefellas</a>. </i></span></div>
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The other big news in town is that Salem has been blessed with another beautiful witch shop. Lori Bruno surprised everyone by suddenly opening up her own shop without warning right at the end of October and leaving Hex! It is an absolutely beautiful space.... Ladies and gents, your first sneak peak at <a href="http://www.magika.org/">MAGIKA</a>:</div>
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<span style="font-size: x-small;"><i>Owls, and walnuts and pomegranates, oh my.</i></span></div>
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<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-xw4gDNexy-I/UKK004Xrw4I/AAAAAAAAATI/Nw2v38qbraE/s1600/magika2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-xw4gDNexy-I/UKK004Xrw4I/AAAAAAAAATI/Nw2v38qbraE/s320/magika2.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: x-small;"><i>See who's on the altar? "Mama loves Obama" - Lori</i></span></div>
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</div>Tom the Tour Guide (Salem Witch Wiles)http://www.blogger.com/profile/04595637697583425642noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-470182137145872547.post-6960837025792126892012-10-26T12:14:00.001-04:002012-10-26T12:24:52.844-04:00Zombies, Zombie, and Halloween in The Witch CityEvery year I anticipate October so much that when it actually finally comes it's gone as quick as the autumn leaves falling off the trees. It seems like one day they're there, the next it's just a pile of red and gold for someone to rake, bag up, and put out on the curb.<br />
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<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-1E6bPp7dBbM/UIqmNGflcuI/AAAAAAAAARQ/xr71XlZ_v14/s1600/zomwalk.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="213" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-1E6bPp7dBbM/UIqmNGflcuI/AAAAAAAAARQ/xr71XlZ_v14/s320/zomwalk.png" width="320" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: x-small;">Event Sponsored by <a href="https://www.facebook.com/veentertainment/info">Vulgar Expressions Entertainment</a></span></div>
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The Salem Zombie Walk went surprisingly smoothly this year. It felt like after all this time they finally did it right. The crowd all stayed together, the officer leading us around was on a motorcycle and did a great job stopping traffic and clearing the streets for us.<br />
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The absolute highlight of the walk was as we turned up Hawthorne Boulevard and the rain started to pour right as the Catholic church bell was tolling 6pm. We all started to yell along with the bells and everyone was getting really rowdy and cheering in the rain - then we noticed the bagpiper standing outside of the church. Right then, with the absolute worst timing ever, he started to play and march and a wedding party appeared at the doors. They looked horrified and shocked as they walked through the hundreds of zombies, many of us stopping to clap and congratulate them. I felt kind of bad for them, but it was their fault for getting married in Salem in October!<br />
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<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-vciSVVNQP10/UIqmu6d0JzI/AAAAAAAAARY/k6eEB8URMkc/s1600/leadzomwalk.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="213" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-vciSVVNQP10/UIqmu6d0JzI/AAAAAAAAARY/k6eEB8URMkc/s320/leadzomwalk.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: x-small;">Leading the zombies across Washington Square near the commons. (Picture via <a href="https://www.facebook.com/HauntedHappeningsMagazine">Haunted Happenings</a>)</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;">This <span style="font-size: small;">October,</span> </span>Salem has been it's usual mix of witches, <a href="http://salemwitchwiles.tumblr.com/post/34105810109/from-the-salem-ma-police-log-1-15-p-m-a">psychics</a>, <a href="http://www.salemnews.com/local/x674150969/Police-Clown-tried-to-solicit-sex-at-rest-area"><span style="font-size: small;">pervert</span> clowns</a>, <span style="font-size: small;"><a href="http://salemwitchwiles.tumblr.com/image/34105481352">wacko preachers</a>, and <a href="http://i.imgur.com/Th5jW.jpg">Cenobite Teletubbies</a>, but the one thing we all thought would be here by now and isn<span style="font-size: small;">'t? Rob Zombie's new movie,<span style="font-size: small;"> </span>LORDS OF SALEM<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"> - the release date was moved to 2013.</span></span></span></span></span></span></div>
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<object class="BLOGGER-youtube-video" classid="clsid:D27CDB6E-AE6D-11cf-96B8-444553540000" codebase="http://download.macromedia.com/pub/shockwave/cabs/flash/swflash.cab#version=6,0,40,0" data-thumbnail-src="http://1.gvt0.com/vi/JEV-I_JWwqU/0.jpg" height="266" width="320"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/JEV-I_JWwqU&fs=1&source=uds" /><param name="bgcolor" value="#FFFFFF" /><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true" /><embed width="320" height="266" src="http://www.youtube.com/v/JEV-I_JWwqU&fs=1&source=uds" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowfullscreen="true"></embed></object></div>
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<span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;">In the trailer he showed <span style="font-size: small;">during </span>concerts, which ended up on you<span style="font-size: small;">tube via audience <span style="font-size: small;">camera phones, it said 2012 at the end.<span style="font-size: small;"> <span style="font-size: small;">I don't think I can wait any longer, I am dying to see<span style="font-size: small;"> this movie. Those are some hot naked witches. <a href="http://salemwitchwiles.blogspot.com/2011/11/rob-zombie-in-salem-november-2011.html">When he filmed in town</a> the crew certainly left their mark<span style="font-size: small;">... Apparently a murder scene must have been filmed ins<span style="font-size: small;">ide Engine House Pizza because there<span style="font-size: small;">'</span>s fake blood leftover on the ceiling and <span style="font-size: small;">they <span style="font-size: small;">plan on leaving</span> i<span style="font-size: small;">t there as a <span style="font-size: small;">souvenir!</span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></div>
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<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-Oh1Ofz0DC08/UIquFXjnkvI/AAAAAAAAARo/D9LBaqXT_ac/s1600/blood.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-Oh1Ofz0DC08/UIquFXjnkvI/AAAAAAAAARo/D9LBaqXT_ac/s320/blood.jpg" width="240" /></a></div>
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<i><span style="font-size: x-small;">That's not <a href="http://enginehouserestaurant.com/">marinara</a>.</span></i></div>
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<i><span style="font-size: x-small;"> </span></i><a href="http://gan.doubleclick.net/gan_click?lid=41000000028007181&pid=UBM013138209788&adurl=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.cdsbooksdvds.com%2Fproduct.jhtm%3Fsku%3DUBM013138209788&usg=AFHzDLsf1dTKU3anHki_CP65Axb5MD55VA&pubid=589841" rel="nofollow">EL SUPERBEASTO BY ZOMBIE,ROB (DVD) (Google Affiliate Ad)</a><br />
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<span style="font-size: small;">There's just a few days left to <a href="http://www.salemnews.com/local/x1133190763/Salem-braces-for-Halloween">have fun</a> in town, and with the <a href="http://www.salemnews.com/community-news-network/x1400200127/Frankenstorm-hybrid-may-be-created-as-Sandy-nears-East-Coast/print">Frankenstorm</a> hysteria</span><i><span style="font-size: x-small;"> </span></i><span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="font-size: small;">spreading it looks like Halloween<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"> might not be so awesome<span style="font-size: small;">, so wear your c<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;">ostume</span> all weekend!</span></span></span></span></span></span></div>
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<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-nAe33LA75sY/UIq2flxsbwI/AAAAAAAAAR4/8z7EZ6k3Lf4/s1600/occupy.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-nAe33LA75sY/UIq2flxsbwI/AAAAAAAAAR4/8z7EZ6k3Lf4/s320/occupy.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: x-small;"><i>The tourists are ready to occupy salem.</i></span><br />
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Tom the Tour Guide (Salem Witch Wiles)http://www.blogger.com/profile/04595637697583425642noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-470182137145872547.post-88320662522942373162012-10-02T13:59:00.002-04:002012-10-26T12:36:39.531-04:00October 2012 in Salem: How to Not Be a Stupid Tourist!<iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/PWgQjay9Pb4" width="420"></iframe>
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After living and working in Salem for as many Octobers as I have you start to notice the patterns and cycles of tourist behavior much like a primatologist notices the patterns of apes eating insects off each other and picking at their butts. In this entry I hope to create a handy guide for any tourist visiting this month not hoping to look stupid or have a horrible time.<br />
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<b>A. FAQs</b><br />
<b>B. What to Visit</b><br />
<b> 1. Witch Museums</b><br />
<b> 2. Other Tourist Museums</b><br />
<b> 3. Classy Stuff</b><br />
<b> 4. Etc </b><br />
<b>C. Spooky Stuff</b><br />
<b>D. Where to Eat</b><br />
<b>E. Modern Witchcraft</b><br />
<b>F. Random Tips</b><br />
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<b><u>Salem Witch Wiles' Guide to Not Being A Stupid Tourist</u></b>
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<b>A. <u>FAQs - Most Frequently Asked Questions</u></b><br />
1. Where is the House of Seven Gables?<br />
2. Where is the Witch Museum?<br />
3. Where is a bathroom?<br />
4. Where can I get a trolley ticket?<br />
5. Where is ____?<br />
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Answer: GET A FUCKING MAP. Seriously, they are free and all over the damn city. There are three or four different maps from a few different companies and they all compete and make all their revenue off advertising. Sit your ass down and look at the map, read the stupid guides with all the info and figure out what you're doing BEFORE you start aimlessly wandering around like a drunk guy in a Goofy hat in Disneyland. I find it highly ironic that people are so worried about "looking like a tourist" they don't look at their map and end up getting lost.<br />
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Also, the people at the information booth at the end of Essex st. (pictured above), as well as the friendly guides inside the <a href="http://www.nps.gov/sama/planyourvisit/visitorcenters.htm">Visitor's Center</a>.<br />
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<b>B. <u>What to Visit</u></b>
Whatever the hell you want! Seriously, you can't make your own decisions with the internet and all the free brochures everyone showers you with the moment you get into town? OK, fine. I will sum up for you, but keep in mind there is more:
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<b>1. Witch Museums</b> -</div>
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The similar names of these museums are not only confusing to tourists, locals usually just choose one favorite and never even check the others out. Before we get into how these attractions are different let me sum up their similarities: They all seem to have broken animatronics that haven't worked in a long time, they all cost around the same amount and last around the same amount of time, and I have heard equally great and horrible reviews for each. Also, each one of these museums is about the hysteria of 1692, almost forgot to mention that.
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<a href="http://www.salemwitchmuseum.com/">The Salem Witch Museum</a> - Stand and learn while scenes light up around you.
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<a href="http://www.witchhistorymuseum.com/witchhistory.html">The Witch History Museum</a> - Walk through the scenes as some educational stuff happens.<br />
<a href="http://www.witchdungeon.com/witchdungeon.html">Witch Dungeon Museum</a> - Trial scene followed by a walk through some scenes.
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<b>2. Other Tourist Museums -</b></div>
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There are other things to learn about in town besides 1692. Here is our list of other tourist museums. Reviews vary drastically.<br />
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<a href="http://www.nightmaregallery.com/">Count Orlok's Nightmare Gallery</a> - One of the few places in town I never feel uneasy recommending, even though it's not about Salem at all! It's a museum about the history of horror cinema, everything from Wolfman and The Creature from the Black Lagoon, to Freddy and Jason. It's an educational history museum for huge horror film nerds. Celebrity appearances and autograph signings all the time in October!<br />
<a href="http://www.piratemuseum.com/pirate.html">The Pirate Museum</a> - Walk through scenes talking about Salem's pirate history, *SPOILER (lulz)* dude jumps out at you at the end.<br />
<a href="http://www.salemwaxmuseum.com/">The Wax Museum/Witch Village</a> - The Wax Museum is one large room with scenes of Salem's history around it. If you don't read all the plaques and take your time you might think it's too short/small. The Witch Village is a guided tour half about Salem and half about witchcraft. BOTH of these attractions may or may not suddenly become dry ice filled strobe lit haunted houses during high-traffic times.<br />
<a href="http://www.witchhouse.info/">The Witch House</a> - The name of this place has always bugged me. It's a way of tricking tourists into going there. They even painted it black to make it more "witchy". See, it is the only home still standing with direct ties to the hysteria trials - it's the house of Jonathan Corwin, who joined the Court of Oyer and Terminer to replace Nathaniel Saltonstall, who resigned after the first execution. So really, he was just a replacement, not even a first choice for the court. This museum isn't about 1692 at all, but more about the home itself, architecture, furnishings, and the history of the Corwin family. It has historic validity, it should just be called The Corwin House. The rumors about some of the examinations of victims of 1692 happening here are just bogus.<br />
<a href="https://www.facebook.com/salemtoymuseum">Salem Toy Museum</a> - Totally random, has nothing to do with Salem history. <a href="http://www.wickedlocal.com/salem/news/x639969297/A-museum-alive-with-wonder-and-toys#axzz28AIL69vS">Just for fun!</a> This place is great, vintage toys, hilarious things on sale, and super nerdy things! It's inside the <a href="http://www.witchcityhomes.com/commercial/downtown-salem/images/mpm4.JPG">Museum Place Mall</a> so it's in a weird spot, don't miss it! Also, while you're in the mall check out the new chip shop, <a href="http://3p4shop.com/">3 Potato 4</a>, they are AMAZING.<br />
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<b>3. Classy Stuff</b> -</div>
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The PEM - class and style.</div>
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A few of the things that the average tourist wont have time for in October.
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<a href="http://www.nps.gov/sama/index.htm">Salem Maritime National Historic Site</a> - Check out the replica of The Friendship ship, museum, Custom House, etc.<br />
<a href="http://www.pem.org/">Peabody Essex Museum</a> - Super classy and cultural. If it isn't October or you have some extra time, dedicate a bunch of hours or a whole day to this place.<br />
<a href="http://www.7gables.org/">The House of Seven Gables</a> - Historic house museum on which Nathaniel Hawthorne's book was based. Also, the author's birthplace has been moved here.<br />
<a href="http://www.salemwillowspark.com/">Salem Willows Park</a> - A nice little ocean-side park with arcades, cotton candy, and a carousel.<br />
There are lots of other guided tours through historic homes and such, but most of them are pretty similar. <br />
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<b>4. Etc.</b> - </div>
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Things I can't quite classify.<br />
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<a href="http://www.salemweb.com/memorial/memorial.shtml">The Witch Trials Memorial</a> - The only place you can pay respect to all the innocent people killed in 1692. Remember, we all have so much fun in Salem because a bunch of people were tortured and killed unjustly - how's that for a guilt trip? Take a little bit of time to reflect at the memorial and pay your respects.<br />
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<a href="http://www.roadsideamerica.com/tip/10599">The Bewitched Statue</a> - A cheese-tastic homage to tourism in Salem.<span style="font-size: small;"> <span style="font-size: small;">A huge amount of the <span style="font-size: small;">seventh season of the show was filmed right in Salem!</span></span></span><br />
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><iframe bordercolor="#000000" frameborder="0" height="320" hspace="0" marginheight="0" marginwidth="0" scrolling="no" src="http://ad.doubleclick.net/adi/N7433.148119.BLOGGEREN/B6675098.3047;sz=320x320;ord=[timestamp]?;lid=41000000028007181;pid=UBM043396280373;usg=AFHzDLvH6G3H4EnvwYpnHHqWpqSDBW1Ssw;adurl=http%253A%252F%252Fwww.cdsbooksdvds.com%252Fproduct.jhtm%253Fsku%253DUBM043396280373;pubid=589841;imgsrc=http%3A%2F%2Fc374170.r70.cf1.rackcdn.com%2F043396280373.jpg;width=218;height=320" vspace="0" width="320"></iframe> </span></span></span></div>
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<a href="http://www.salemwizardshop.com/wynottwands.htm">Wynott's Wands</a> - <a href="http://www.salemwizardshop.com/">Remember Salem</a> has been so successful in it's conversion into a Harry Potter themed shop they have also opened up Salem's first wand shop! I really wonder if there's enough of a market for authentic wands in October though... Especially with so many actual witch shops that carry them<br />
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<b>C. <u>Spooky Stuff </u></b></div>
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I found this picture of an actual Salem tourist entering one of our most horrific haunted attractions!</div>
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First things first, this is not Disney World. This is not even <a href="http://www.spookyworld.com/">Spooky World</a>. Things in Salem tend to be on a much smaller budget than standard haunted attractions you'll find in other places. I am not going to rate these because there are just so many variables involved in any individual experience, but I will say that The Boston Phoenix best described it by saying one "resembles a ransacked party store" . All last about the same amount of time and cost around the same amount of money. As of today there are exactly 4 haunted attractions in Salem (not including the few that become haunted mentioned above):
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<a href="http://www.witchmansion.com/">The Witch Mansion</a> - Newly renovated and exits into the mall directly in front of the entrance to:<br />
<a href="http://www.nightmarefactorysalem.com/">The Nightmare Factory</a> - newly renovated as well.<br />
<a href="http://www.salems13ghosts.com/">13 Ghosts</a> (The shortest) - This year they are boasting some kind of "haunted time machine", whatever that means...<br />
<a href="http://www.salemwaxmuseum.com/Halloween.html">Frankenstien's Laboratory</a> (The longest) - Looks like they might have fixed this one up a bit, too. I sure hope so, the place was falling apart.<br />
<a href="https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=10151182586899941&set=a.10150639934434941.412631.372395664940&type=1&theater">Whatever this thing is on Pickering Wharf</a> - The space for a haunted attraction on Pickering Wharf has something going on, not sure what though. Don't know if they haven't yet decided or are keeping it a secret. Odds are it's another standard haunted house type thing.<br />
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<b>D. <u>Where to Eat</u></b> -<br />
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<i>Awesome Vegginess at Life Alive. Pic via their <a href="http://lifealivecafe.tumblr.com/">tumblr</a>.</i></div>
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With over 60 places to eat in Salem, it's pretty much impossible for me to review everything or make any recommendations, just a few things:<br />
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--If you are vegetarian you can check out my blog entry all about the <a href="http://salemwitchwiles.blogspot.com/2011/04/salem-witchs-guide-to-local-vegetarian.html">best veggie places in Salem</a>.<br />
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--Salem has just about every different type of food you can imagine - pubs, Chinese, pizza, cafes, classy expensive places, cheap family fare, a brewery, Thai, Indian, Caribbean, Polish and everything else - don't waste your money getting nasty sausages and junk from street vendors (no offense to my street vendor friends!)<br />
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--There are ice cream shops all over town. If you can't find one just keep walking until you do.<br />
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--If you go to Dunkin Donuts I will fucking slap you. Sure, many New-Englanders have bad taste and prefer them over anything else, but there are some of us who would rather recommend one of our many many local cafes for your caffeine fix.<br />
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<b>E. <u>Modern Witchcraft</u></b><u> </u>- </div>
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These are places that witches visiting Salem will want to see. Mostly just shops, and there are lots more. <br />
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<a href="http://www.crowhavencorner.com/">Crow Haven Corner</a> - The oldest witch shop in the country, first opened up by Laurie Cabot.<br />
<a href="http://www.witchwalk.com/">The Salem Witch Walk</a> Ever wonder why, if everyone in 1692 was an innocent victim and not a real witch, there are so many witches in Salem today? This tour explains what real witchcraft is while discussing the hysteria from a modern witch's perspective and starts with a participatory ritual at Crow Haven Corner. And I don't just love the tour because it helps clear things up for witches and Salemites alike, I'm also the tour guide!<br />
<a href="http://www.salemhex.com/">Hex</a>, <a href="http://www.omensalem.com/">Omen</a>, & <a href="http://www.festivalofthedead.com/">Festival of the Dead</a> events - Halloween ringmaster Christian Day's October Circus<br />
<a href="http://theofficialwitchshoppe.com/">Laurie Cabot's Shop</a> - <a href="http://salemwitchwiles.blogspot.com/2012/01/laurie-cabot-closes-shop-christian-day.html">Is closed!</a> So many people keep asking where to find it, sorry guys!<br />
<a href="http://www.bewitchedinsalem.com/servlet/StoreFront">Bewitched in Salem</a> - Talk about eclectic, this witch shop has so many random things it's not even a witch shop anymore - it's an everything shop. From their website "A 4 inch ivory Jesus and a 4 foot steel Baphomet can share the same space. We do not discriminate."<br />
<a href="http://maps.google.com/maps?pq=100+derby+st+salem%5C&hl=en&cp=19&gs_id=s&xhr=t&q=100+derby+st+salem%5C&qe=MTAwIGRlcmJ5IHN0IHNhbGVtXA&qesig=X25Ik6owQ3-GEjFg3Z-Vhg&pkc=AFgZ2tlXOGKyH4MgQfHm8CnYp9LmBLMniHOKgzA6M_J4Orlpg1cfLgMjTqhffDCiJAoJXZm33bEDb0tRzKXkEiSihOuzZ2-c0g&client=firefox-a&hs=Avi&rls=org.mozilla:en-US:official&gs_upl=&bav=on.2,or.r_gc.r_pw.&biw=1600&bih=759&um=1&ie=UTF-8&hq=&hnear=0x89e3146823fefae5:0x2d9d4b8a7d64a074,100+Derby+St,+Salem,+MA+01970&gl=us&ei=fNWETrzmO8na0QGN97UE&sa=X&oi=geocode_result&ct=image&resnum=1&sqi=2&ved=0CB8Q8gEwAA">Site of Laurie Cabot's first shop!</a> - What the hell is a Crotchet, much less an entire box of them? 100 Derby st is where Laurie Cabot opened the very first (and extremely short-lived) witchcraft shop in America before she gave it a second try and succeeded with Crow Haven Corner. Nowadays it's an awkward looking red house with a sign that makes no sense and many tourists assume is some kind of dirty joke they just don't get..<br />
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<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-2HLkVQfTPYA/ToTa_JpwE1I/AAAAAAAAAGg/Oj-xSXm2gMM/s1600/blog-salemwitchshoppe-1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="208" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-2HLkVQfTPYA/ToTa_JpwE1I/AAAAAAAAAGg/Oj-xSXm2gMM/s320/blog-salemwitchshoppe-1.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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<i>Line waiting to go into Laurie's Cabot's shop two years ago. It's closed forever now.</i></div>
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<b>F. <u>Random tips</u></b></div>
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1. Dress appropriately - If you are wearing an expensive costume in Salem on Halloween night don't be upset if it gets stepped on, squashed, or otherwise soiled. That's right, I said soiled. All kinds of things are possible.<br />
2. Be prepared to wait in line - Everywhere you go. Your whole trip. It sucks, I know, but just get used to it and get over it. The picture above is of people waiting in line just to get into Laurie Cabot's shop. The crowds can get a little dense, too, so be careful not to lose your friends.<br />
3. Don't be fooled by signs - Apparently the laws about being able to say you are the "Official", "highest rated", "most popular", or "scariest" are pretty lax, because everything in town claims to be "the best".<br />
4. Be weary of advice on the street - Unless it is someone dressed as a park ranger from the visitor center, someone from the official city tourist info booth (picture at top of page), or you just get lucky, odds are the person offering you friendly advice on what attraction to visit is being paid to do so by said attraction. Also, if you are stupid enough to keep taking flyers, DON'T LITTER!<br />
5. And THE MOST IMPORTANT TIP for not being a stupid tourist is don't worry about being a stupid tourist! Relax, don't schedule every little thing, and don't be upset if things don't work out how you expect them to! With so much insanity all over the city all month you are bound to get caught up in something - make sure it's not drama!<br />
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<i><span style="font-size: x-small;">I'm in this book!</span></i> </div>
Tom the Tour Guide (Salem Witch Wiles)http://www.blogger.com/profile/04595637697583425642noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-470182137145872547.post-50949554319427110652012-07-17T14:21:00.000-04:002012-10-26T12:40:59.834-04:0013 Quick Ways to Tell if You're a Witch<br />
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Working in a tourist town and explaining witchcraft to average people can be very challenging and one of the questions I get most often is "How can I tell if I'm a witch?" Well, that question could mean a lot of different things, but I find when a tourist asks it they just want a quick rundown of some of the ideals, philosophies, and traits of the average witch so they can see if it's something they would be into... So I'm bored today and made this list which is by no means comprehensive and certainly doesn't apply to everyone. This is just a general and generic list of traits the average witch stereotypically follows. <br />
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If you find that more than a few of these traits apply to you, then I suggest the study of witchcraft would probably be an intellectual and spiritual benefit to you:
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1. Have you ever confessed to loving an animal more than a person? Do you generally love animals?
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2. Do respect the environment/nature or worry about mankind's impact on it? Do you enjoy camping, hiking, hunting, etc?
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3. Do you love science?
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4. Do you believe that all religions have something to teach us?
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5. Do you believe that men and women are equal?
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6. Do you respect the elderly and those older than you?
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7. Do you feel a connection to the dead?
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8. Have you ever had paranormal or psychic experiences?
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9. Do you have an interest in ancient history?
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10. Have you ever considered yourself an "outsider" or someone who observes others? But, on the other hand, when you are in a comfortable setting with like-minded people can be outgoing?
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11. Have you ever considered yourself a philosopher?
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12. Are you a fan of haunted houses or roller coasters, not afraid of the dark, or generally brave when it comes to the unknown?
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13. Do you enjoy learning new things even when it means you are wrong?
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Witchcraft has nothing to do with what religion you are, how you dress, the music you listen to, or the people you hang out with. It has everything to do with what kind of human being you are and how you interact with your environment. If more than a few of these traits apply to you, you might be a witch.
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Tom the Tour Guide
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[WOW, I had no idea this would go viral so quickly! It's great to see this reposted so much all over Facebook and that so many non-witches find it interesting! Just one thing I wanted to clear up because a few arguments were starting:
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Witchcraft is not a religion. It is a spiritual practice influenced by many religions. Some people prefer to call it a "way of life" or a "spiritual path", Laurie Cabot famously calls her style "Witchcraft as a Science". So, WICCA is one new religion based on witchcraft that comes from the middle of the 1900s. Every Wiccan is a witch, but not every witch is a Wiccan. Wicca is one denomination of witchcraft and the vast majority of witches prefer to draw on their own personal mix of religions that influence their own personal version of witchcraft. Thanks!]
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So anyways, Salem is BUSY. Stuff is really blowing up this year. Everything is so exciting people keep saying "And it's not even October!" By then, the city will be whipped up into a frenzy. :)
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; line-height: 18px; text-align: -webkit-auto;"><i><span style="color: white; font-size: xx-small;">"Looking back, the lion was a bad idea. That's why Dr. Shockla is gonna hook us up with a monkey. I'm gonna teach it taekwondo."</span></i></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="line-height: 16px;"><span style="color: white;">Adam Sandler and his ragtag band of misfits (I don't know how else to refer to them) keep getting spotted all over the city this summer. The above picture is</span> <a href="http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0200601/" style="color: #333333;">Peter Dante</a><span style="color: #333333;"> </span><span style="color: white;">with some Salem locals and their baby! He's one of those people that is in just about every single movie Sandler does, but most famous as the pot dealer in</span><span style="color: #333333;"> </span><a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0456554/" style="color: #333333;">Grandma's Boy</a><span style="color: white;">. Rumor is that they actually filmed a bit of indoor scenes in Salem by renting out some cheap office space and putting up temporary sets, but no one can find out for sure. They've been filming primarily in Marblehead and Swampscott, the next towns over. Regardless of if they have been filming in Salem, they are definitely hanging out. Adam Sandler was even spotted outside Witch Dr.!</span></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: xx-small;"><span style="color: white; line-height: 16px;"><i>"Lifting the spirits of all who enter..."</i></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: x-small;"><a href="https://www.facebook.com/pages/Witch-DR/134733736639376" style="color: #333333;">Witch Dr.</a> <span style="color: white;">is the name of the new artist gallery and glassblowing studio in Salem "<i>Where the Witches Burn</i>". Boy, I love a good pun. They're doing pretty well and I'm glad. Good artsy hippie nonsense is a great thing for Salem.</span></span></div>
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<span style="color: white;"><span style="font-size: xx-small;"><i>The owner of Life Alive.</i></span><span style="font-size: x-small;"> </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="color: white;">Speaking of hippies, the much anticipated vegetarian restaurant,</span> <a href="http://www.lifealive.com/" style="color: #333333;">Life Alive</a><span style="color: white;">, has been in town long enough for everyone to have an opinion and people are saying great things. I personally have eaten there four times and keep getting the same dish every time because it's so damn good. If this one selection is that good I can imagine the rest is just as good.</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="color: white;">The girls from</span> <a href="http://www.paranormalsalem.com/" style="color: #333333;">Paranormal Salem</a><span style="color: #333333;"> </span><span style="color: white;">were on</span><span style="color: #333333;"> </span><a href="http://www.biography.com/tv/my-ghost-story/" style="color: #333333;">A&E Bio's My Ghost Story</a><span style="color: #333333;"> </span><span style="color: white;">the other day. You can watch it online</span><span style="color: #333333;"> </span><a href="http://www.biography.com/tv/my-ghost-story/videos/episode-41-full-episode-2256704306" style="color: #333333;">here</a><span style="color: white;">. In the past few weeks the History Channel, something only referred to as "the English version of the Travel Channel", National Geographic, and a few other film crews have been spotted downtown.</span><span style="color: #333333;"> </span><a href="http://www.iparty.com/" style="color: #333333;">I Party</a><span style="color: #333333;"> </span><span style="color: white;">was even just filming a scene for a commercial in</span><span style="color: #333333;"> </span><a href="https://www.facebook.com/CountOrloksNightmareGallery" style="color: #333333;">Count Orlok's Nightmare Gallery</a><span style="color: #333333;"> </span><span style="color: white;">(They just confirmed</span><span style="color: #333333;"> </span><a href="http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0387987/" style="color: #333333;">KANE HODDER</a><span style="color: #333333;"> </span><span style="color: white;">as a celebrity guest appearance again this October, too!).</span></span></div>
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<span style="color: white; font-size: x-small;">And last but not least, the Hocus Pocus movie sequel was shot down as just a rumor by Disney! I say good riddance, if they did make a sequel it would be some lame straight-to-DVD nonsense.</span></div>
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Tom the Tour Guide (Salem Witch Wiles)http://www.blogger.com/profile/04595637697583425642noreply@blogger.com15tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-470182137145872547.post-63303145204546244892012-04-24T19:43:00.000-04:002012-04-24T19:59:24.407-04:00Climate Change did NOT Cause the Salem Witch Trials<span style="font-size: large;"><b><u>This just in...</u></b></span><br />
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I always get worried when I bump into TV cameras downtown Salem because a lot of shows just aim to make the whole city look goofy or mock witchcraft ( which tends to be pretty easy around here). So when I dropped into <a href="http://www.salemhex.com/">Hex</a> yesterday and almost tripped over camera wires and noticed a whole crew surrounding <a href="https://www.facebook.com/LoriBrunoStrega">Lori Bruno</a> I got a bit suspicious and paranoid.<br />
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I asked around and apparently this production company just got <a href="http://www.tvmole.com/2012/04/greenlit-american-chainsaw-national-geographic/">green-lit</a> for a show on <a href="http://icanhascheezburger.files.wordpress.com/2010/02/funny-pictures-cat-is-ready-for-photos.jpg">National Geographic </a>called American Chainsaw which "showcases the artistry New England-based hard rock star <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=b55EUpsB6oA">Jesse 'The Machine' Green</a> and his team of chainsaw sculptors as they create artworks for prestigious clients<span style="color: #333333; font-family: Helvetica, Arial, 'Lucida Grande', Verdana, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 12px; line-height: 18px;">." </span></span></div>
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<span style="text-align: -webkit-auto;">Actually sounds pretty cool. Maybe it's a bit cheesy in the description, but you can't go wrong with chainsaw sculpting. Apparently they are making something amazing for <a href="http://www.loribrunopsychic.com/">Lori Bruno</a> and coming back later in the week to unveil it. (hint: it's a dragon!)</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large; text-align: -webkit-auto;"><b><u>In other news...</u></b></span><br />
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The other big story about Salem this week has been so prolific that it's become quite an annoyance.<br />
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Everywhere I look I see the headline "<a href="http://www.salemnews.com/local/x2086600789/Did-climate-change-cause-witch-hysteria">Did Climate Change Cause the Salem Witch Trials?</a>" and I just want to respond angrily to every single article with a big "NO!"<br />
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People still coming up with theories as to what caused the trials are always people new to the subject. Any person who has actually studied the trials knows that there was no one single "cause" and looking for a single "theory" is pretty uneducated. This theory is being posited in a paper written EIGHT YEARS AGO by a Harvard student as her senior thesis. The woman, <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Emily_Oster#">Emily Oster</a>, was previously most well known for her PhD dissertation on the subject of Hepatitis B and is a teacher of economics at The University of Chicago, so obviously this is yet another person who dabbled into the Salem Witch Trials as a pet project. As an historian and tour guide in Salem I have been approached by dozens of university students writing papers on the trials, and most of them claim that they "have always been drawn" to the Witch Trials or "always found it fascinating," but the bottom line is, you can't just take a vacation to Salem and do a few months of research and then consider yourself an expert. (Not to say Oster isn't awesome, her <a href="http://www.npr.org/blogs/money/2009/07/got_a_riddle_ask_economist_emi.html">analysis</a> of the HIV/AIDS epidemic in Africa is extremely important and made huge waves a few years ago.)</div>
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<i>Too easy.</i></div>
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This reminds me of the much <a href="http://rochester.ynn.com/content/top_stories/573338/expert-doesn-t-buy-ergot-theory/">disproven</a><span style="font-family: inherit;"> <a href="http://skepticalhumanities.com/2011/05/19/cogito-ergo-not-ergotism-the-salem-witch-trials/">Ergot Theory</a> (Excellent article in that link by the way! A must read for anyone interested in the hysteria.), which still gets brought up by know-it-alls and stoners trying to come up with an easy answer to explain away the trials. Ergot is what LSD is a synthetically derived from, so it would be an easy way to explain things - of course, they were all just tripping! </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: verdana, arial, helvetica, sans-serif; line-height: 17px;"><i><span style="font-size: xx-small;">"Today, a young man on acid realized that all matter is merely energy condensed to a slow vibration. That we are all one consciousness experiencing itself subjectively. There is no such thing as death, life is only a dream and we're the imagination of ourselves" - Bill Hicks</span></i></span></div>
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But trying to come up with a theory to explain the trials is absolutely ignorant considering <a href="http://www.iol.co.za/news/crime-courts/seven-in-court-for-burning-man-to-death-1.1277102">these types</a> of <a href="http://www.nydailynews.com/news/world/sri-lankan-woman-accused-casting-spell-13-year-old-girl-face-death-article-1.1065128?localLinksEnabled=false">persecutions</a> <a href="http://www.impactnottingham.com/2012/04/the-prevalence-of-witchcraft-today/">still happen today</a>! Is it so impossible for us to admit that human kind is just a little messed up? Do we have to come up with theories because we are ashamed to admit the people seen as the founders of the Americas were capable of such atrocities? These things happen in undeveloped and socially backwards countries all the time, and back in 1692 Salem MA was like a third world country. Mind you, that was mostly by choice - the Puritans were not big on education, every single thing a child learned was straight from the Bible, not science or history books.</div>
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I have been studying the trials in a professional and official capacity for years and work in the tourist industry in Salem. When a tourists asks me what "caused" the trials I answer simply: The Puritans!</div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">The Puritans were not the cute little pious people you learned about in school, they were a cult of ignorant fanatics. What happened to cause the trials was more of a "<a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Perfect_storm">perfect storm</a>" type </span>scenario<span style="font-family: inherit;">, where a perfect combination of actual events, psychological stressors, and social problems came together in <i>just</i> the right way to result in such a conflagration of circumstances. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">One enlightening fact people never tend to know about the Puritans is that they were an </span>apocalyptic<span style="font-family: inherit;"> cult! A Puritan minister, leader, and author who was one of the main villains during the trials is a man named <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cotton_Mather">Cotton Mather</a> who posited that the end of the world would happen in </span><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_dates_predicted_for_apocalyptic_events" style="font-family: inherit;">1697</a><span style="font-family: inherit;">. That's right, the Puritans were like Y2k people. They were like that crazy libertarian Ron Paul supporting friend of yours that says </span>fluoride<span style="font-family: inherit;"> in the drinking water controls our minds and the Mayans predicted the end of the world was in 2012. They're like that idiot last year who said the world was going to end and bought up all those <a href="https://www.google.com/search?hl=en&q=billboard+end+of+the+world&bav=on.2,or.r_gc.r_pw.r_qf.,cf.osb&um=1&ie=UTF-8&tbm=isch&source=og&sa=N&tab=wi&ei=WC2XT9SHAuK26QHmx9GgDg&biw=1440&bih=785&sei=Wi2XT8_DEoT00gHyyNStDg">billboards</a>. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">The point being that we tend tend to </span>romanticize<span style="font-family: inherit;"> the Puritans when in fact we should look at them for who they really were - </span></div>
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<i>Scumbags</i>.</div>
Tom the Tour Guide (Salem Witch Wiles)http://www.blogger.com/profile/04595637697583425642noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-470182137145872547.post-22369973479617586062012-04-03T16:30:00.001-04:002012-04-05T17:21:03.076-04:00Rob Zombie Comes Out of Nerd Closet - Does Tom Baker ImpressionI've been following Rob Zombie news religiously for more than a year now, scouring for <a href="http://www.salemwitchwiles.com/2011/11/rob-zombie-in-salem-november-2011.html">Lords of Salem</a> news. As a huge nerd and an insane <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wRhPM2wMzH8">Doctor Who</a> fan I freaked out when I saw this video of Rob Zombie doing a <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mfisgGuuUD8">Tom Baker</a> impression. Apparently he is going to be making videos for Chris Hardwick's "<a href="http://www.nerdist.com/">The Nerdist</a>", and having been a fan of Chris' for a while now I couldn't be happier for everyone involved. Chris has also gotten <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t2mU6USTBRE&ob=av2e">Weird Al</a> to make videos for The Nerdist and the first one <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8B5h-14jZ9w&feature=youtu.be">debuted today</a>!<br />
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<iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/kzm01S53BfQ" width="420"></iframe><br />
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The internet freaked out and geeked out over this clip to which Rob replied via Twitter <span style="background-color: #444444; color: white;">"<span style="font-family: HelveticaNeue, 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 18px;">Why is everybody so surprised I know who Tom Baker is? I've been a fan of his Dr. Who since the 70's." XD</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: HelveticaNeue, 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 14px; line-height: 18px;">Further evidence of his nerd-dom can be found in this picture he posted to Facebook a few months ago, edited by myself:</span></span><br />
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<span style="color: #333333; font-family: HelveticaNeue, 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 14px; line-height: 18px;"><br /></span></span></div>Tom the Tour Guide (Salem Witch Wiles)http://www.blogger.com/profile/04595637697583425642noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-470182137145872547.post-33602226089201715072012-03-12T15:57:00.000-04:002012-03-30T19:28:25.959-04:00What's Been Banished and What is Sacred Space - Changing Businesses in Downtown Salem 2012[I can't believe it's already been a year. Spring is here and the usual musical-chairs of businesses coming and going has left us with lots of interesting stories. So, here's What's Been Banished and What is Sacred Space 2012.]<br />
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Many people make the mistake of thinking Salem is a tourist town, but
with the many faces the city wears we have infinite varieties of
businesses.
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One of the things I have always found fascinating is the
ever-changing storefronts on Essex st, and the failure and success of
local businesses. So what's new in downtown Salem this year? What businesses have
gone to the gallows? Here are a few of the ones I consider noteworthy.<br />
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<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-2_-trwdoARA/T15UT3V4JCI/AAAAAAAAAPQ/dQDmGFH0x7c/s1600/WhatWitchesDo.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-2_-trwdoARA/T15UT3V4JCI/AAAAAAAAAPQ/dQDmGFH0x7c/s320/WhatWitchesDo.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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<i>But first, A Salem Witch meme.</i></div>
<span style="font-size: large;"> <u><b><a href="http://theuppercrustpizzeria.com/">The Upper Crust</a> Falls Down</b></u></span> - Lots of people, including myself, had no idea about the allegations of corruption at this franchise's Salem location. Most locals hardly went there because the pizza was way too expensive. Suddenly the place was closed and lots of people were talking about how badly the owner treated the workers. Apparently, after being "<a href="http://articles.boston.com/2012-02-25/business/31098819_1_overtime-payments-employees-labor-department">ordered to pay more than $80,000 in back pay by the Department of Labor for violating federal overtime and record-keeping laws</a>", they just couldn't afford to stay open! Public sentiment is strongly against them.<br />
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<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-fsTAqCsbM8I/T146ET-n-OI/AAAAAAAAAO4/pM3H1YN4Ve0/s1600/locations-salem-4-b.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-fsTAqCsbM8I/T146ET-n-OI/AAAAAAAAAO4/pM3H1YN4Ve0/s1600/locations-salem-4-b.jpg" /></a></div>
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<i>An upper-downward spiral.</i></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><u><b>The<a href="http://covensalem.com/"> Coven</a> has Disbanded</b></u></span> - The best new place in town just up and leaves. Now there is nowhere to get Vegan BLTs (VLTs), gluten-free vegan cupcakes, or sandwiches named after famous pop-culture icons and 80s cartoon superheroes. W - T - F. Coven announced the news via <a href="https://www.facebook.com/CovenSalem/posts/10151269370170076">their Facebook page</a> which has since become a sad memorial full of people commenting begging them not to leave and saying how much they'll be missed. Luckily, the space was sold to an AMAZING vegetarian restaurant called <a href="http://www.lifealive.com/">Life Alive</a> which will be opening soon, so it's not a complete loss. Still sucks, the menu at Life Alive looks absolutely awesome, but I don't see any mention of vegan BLTs. :(<br />
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<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-eMbt533dJ3s/T143rYsh2nI/AAAAAAAAAOw/MOw2UI8ro5A/s1600/426618_370262912993380_202882756398064_1364443_1100828622_n.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="238" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-eMbt533dJ3s/T143rYsh2nI/AAAAAAAAAOw/MOw2UI8ro5A/s320/426618_370262912993380_202882756398064_1364443_1100828622_n.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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<i>Life Alive, coming soon. [via: <a href="http://greencleansalem.com/">midge</a>]</i></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><u><b>Bangkok's Back</b></u> </span>- Looks like Salem's loudest Thai food bar is back with a vengeance. I live on Washington st right near them and can testify to this. Last night (Sunday) <a href="http://bangkokparadise.com/">Bangkok Paradise</a> was the very last bar in the area still open and seemed busy. I honestly love this place, mostly just for their food. The old owner always tried to keep the nights varied with different genres of music, lets hope the new owners keep it diverse. [Edit: Looks like they are. I wonder if they'll do that goth night again? They actually did dubstep last night, I could hear it out my window! wubwubwub]<br />
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<span style="font-size: large;"><u><b>That Place that Replaced Asahi is Gone</b></u></span> - I never even got a chance to go to <a href="http://salem.patch.com/articles/lakay-island-restaurant-offers-taste-of-caribbean">Lakay Island</a> before they shut down. It's crazy that business can't succeed there just because of lack of traffic. The location is right in the center of Essex st so you have to park and walk there, but it's just a great location, someone really needs to do <a href="http://salem.patch.com/articles/what-should-go-in-the-old-lakay-island-space#photo-9183097">something</a> with it that will last.<br />
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<span style="font-size: large;"><u><b>Laurie Cabot's Shop Closes Forever</b></u></span> - It's the end of an era. See full story <a href="http://www.salemwitchwiles.com/2012/01/laurie-cabot-closes-shop-christian-day.html">here</a>.<br />
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<a href="http://24.media.tumblr.com/tumblr_lazgc4JWUH1qzbhtvo1_500.jpg"><i>Making pies?</i></a></div>
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<u><b><span style="font-size: large;">The <a href="http://www.correllian.com/wowm.htm">World of Witches</a> Gets a Bit Smaller</span></b></u> - When the guys from The World of Witches Museum first opened up we were confused about what they were exactly. Were they a <a href="http://www.witchschool.com/">school</a>? A <a href="http://www.youtube.com/user/MagickTv?ob=0&feature=results_main">Youtube channel</a>? A <a href="http://worldofwitchesmuseum.com/">tourist attraction</a>? A branch of a <a href="http://www.correllian.com/">tradition</a> of a coven? <a href="http://www.theyoungwitches.com/">Reality TV</a> stars? Either way - the dreaded winter slow season, the same barren winter the <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Massachusetts_Bay_Colony">first settlers</a> in Salem faced, has claimed another victim. Even a desperate <a href="http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/WitchSchool/exhibits-for-world-of-witches-museum-in-salem">Kickstarter</a> campaign and tons of <a href="http://www.ebay.com/sch/i.html?_nkw=Witch+School">eBay</a> posts couldn't get them enough funding to survive. For more info and some quotes, <a href="http://www.patheos.com/blogs/wildhunt/2012/03/world-of-witches-museum-in-salem-closes-its-doors.html">The Wild Hunt</a> did a write-up. [EDIT: Added 3/30/12]<br />
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<span style="font-size: large;"><u><b>Witch Shops Get Dissed on Central st.</b></u></span> - Well well, then. Apparently the owner of a certain building on Central st would prefer to get rid of the witch/psychic shops and replace them with some cute yuppie nonsense. Both <a href="http://www.broomcloset.com/">The Broom Closet</a> and <a href="http://www.angelicaoftheangels.com/">Angelica's of the Angels</a> have relocated to new places, both are actually better and more visible. The interesting part of this is simply the fact that the community has become so aware of the building owner's anti-witch shop opinions. Is that really true? Did the dude want to get rid of them? That's what word around town is... Either way, they left peacefully it seems.<br />
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<span style="font-size: large;"><u><b>Life and Death has Resurrected Spellbound Tours</b></u></span> - Stitching together the pieces of two deceased tours into an undoubtedly wonderful monster, the former owner of <a href="http://www.lifeanddeathinsalem.com/events.html">Life and Death Tours</a> (and shop), Nichole (of <a href="http://www.myspace.com/orangenichole">Orange Nichole</a>) is the proud new owner of <a href="http://www.spellboundtours.com/">Spellbound Tours</a>. Her trusty sideshow freak performer friend, who, years ago, was Spellbound's original top rated tour guide is back in town after traveling with America's last traveling sideshow, <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OpbtyxYEZpA">World of Wonders</a>. If anybody can save the company they can. No word yet on if or where they will have a store front. I expect they will.<br />
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<span style="font-size: large;"><u><b>Speaking of Tours...</b></u></span> - Tour Season officially starts April 1st, but the weather has been so nice, some of the <a href="http://www.salemghosttours.com/">ghost tours</a> have already had decent groups for a while. <a href="https://www.facebook.com/witchwalk">The Salem Witch Walk</a> had unprecedented success last year and we're expecting big things to come in 2012. Salem's newest tour, <a href="http://www.paranormalsalem.com/">Paranormal Salem</a>, has been doing great as well. <a href="http://www.salemtrolley.com/">The Salem Trolley</a> is out and about, and that's really how locals tell tourist season is back. Also, there is a new <a href="http://www.runboston.org/aboutus/salem/salem.html">RUNNING tours</a> company which is a hilarious trend sweeping the tourism industry in every major city in the same way that <a href="http://www.witchcitysegway.com/">segway tours</a> have.<br />
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<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-XmMVxBeHqr8/T15PIPjs7pI/AAAAAAAAAPA/wiUnyfyxozU/s1600/ST_Pamplemousse-Hildebrand.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-XmMVxBeHqr8/T15PIPjs7pI/AAAAAAAAAPA/wiUnyfyxozU/s1600/ST_Pamplemousse-Hildebrand.jpg" /></a></div>
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<i>Always makes me think of <a href="http://www.dailymotion.com/video/x7plw3_neighborhood-of-make-believe-from-1_shortfilms">Mr. Rogers</a>.</i></div>
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Salem is always changing, so expect another post next year, or even sooner, to see what's been banished and what is sacred space in the Witch City.Tom the Tour Guide (Salem Witch Wiles)http://www.blogger.com/profile/04595637697583425642noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-470182137145872547.post-24500692686137992012012-01-19T15:06:00.000-05:002012-02-01T15:01:56.570-05:00The Salem Witches Hex Tim Tebow?<br />
This started off with <a href="http://www.bostonherald.com/track/inside_track/view/20220113witches_brew_a_win_for_tom/srvc=home&position=6">The Boston Herald</a> calling the owner of local witch shop <a href="https://www.facebook.com/pages/Crow-Haven-Corner/117437094976153">Crow Haven Corner</a>, Lorelei and asking about curses. Apparently the New England Patriots' star quarterback Tom Brady made the cover of <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sports_Illustrated_cover_jinx">Sports Illustrated</a>, which is considered some sort of curse in the sports world. When she mentioned that rituals can be used to neutralize negative energy it became a bigger scoop for the Herald, as they were the ones to break the news that the ritual would be held a few days later at the shop. It also became a surprising opportunity for good publicity for Lorelei and the store, as the story was picked up by local news outlets and quickly spread to syndication and national news outlets.<br />
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I figured the story was cute and would get a bit of coverage, but had no idea that when I showed up to witness the ritual at Crow Haven Corner at <a href="http://www.workingwitch.com/lunar/planetaryhourschart.html">12pm on Friday the 13th</a> I would have to shove past gigantic news cameras just to get into the store. <a href="http://www.foxnews.com/entertainment/2012/01/13/mass-witches-assembling-to-end-tim-tebows-season-keep-tom-bradys-alive/">Fox</a>, <a href="http://boston.cbslocal.com/2012/01/13/salem-witches-attempt-to-neutralize-tim-tebow/">CBS</a>, <a href="http://offthebench.nbcsports.com/2012/01/13/salem-witches-for-brady-plan-to-counteract-tim-tebow-on-saturday/">NBC</a>, etc etc - they were all there. Must have been a slow news day!<br />
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<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-aezomjeAp_E/Txhxm7rreCI/AAAAAAAAAOA/bp9AJh0oG-c/s1600/395971_355609751131775_100000482582876_1469118_83795216_n.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-aezomjeAp_E/Txhxm7rreCI/AAAAAAAAAOA/bp9AJh0oG-c/s320/395971_355609751131775_100000482582876_1469118_83795216_n.jpg" width="240" /></a></div>
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<i>This doll isn't supposed to be scary, but tell that to my nightmares.</i></div>
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Honestly, I expected the ritual itself to be really cheesy after that
whole <a href="http://www.salemwitchwiles.com/2011/03/salem-warlock-uses-charlie-sheen-meme.html">Charlie Sheen thing</a> last year, but it was surprisingly
well-thought-out, politically correct, and positive. Lorelei even
mentioned Broncos quarterback <a href="http://www.hulu.com/watch/318731/late-night-with-jimmy-fallon-tebowie">Tim Tebow</a> saying he had "powerful
energy..., magic[, and was] a force to be reckoned with," but went out of
her way to say she wished him well, but wanted the Patriots to win. The whole thing was meant to be for neutralizing the Sports Illustrated "jinx" and to ask for victory for the team in the upcoming game, but still many news outlets sensationalized the story or just got it plain wrong, some going so far as to say things like " <a href="http://www.goddiscussion.com/88856/salem-witches-put-hex-on-tim-tebow-for-broncos-patriots-game-patriots-win-45-10/">SALEM WITCHES HEX TIM TEBOW</a>..." <br />
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Suddenly the story was everywhere, and the videos had gone viral.<br />
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<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-rx9SVhSpWHs/Txh2Ha6c3uI/AAAAAAAAAOI/zRY75ptwknI/s1600/virus_2b.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-rx9SVhSpWHs/Txh2Ha6c3uI/AAAAAAAAAOI/zRY75ptwknI/s320/virus_2b.jpg" width="312" /></a></div>
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<i>That little circle second from the right represent bloggers.</i></div>
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All the publicity has been great in the eyes of the majority of most people. I have personally seen in the comments of may of these articles professed Christians and atheists going out of their way to say how this makes witches and religions associated with witchcraft look good. They are used to seeing witches in the media portrayed as a bunch of circus freaks, weirdos, and publicity whores and many noted how relieving it was to see a legitimate ritual; done in a fun way for a good cause.<br />
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The backlash, as always, came from the pagan community. Some pagans are so obsessed with the embarrassment associated with the aforementioned freaks and publicity whores they assume every witch in the news is just out to make a buck. This comes as no surprise to any witch that's ever been in the media. The moment you put yourself out there there are throngs of people shouting about how you're a sell out and judging you guilty of the crime of simply being in the media at all. These detractors inevitably end up resorting to making fun of the way you do your make-up, your weight, or accusing you of living in your parents basement playing Dungeons and Dragons.<br />
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<i>Although sometimes the mockery is warranted.</i></div>
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It's just how it is. Don't know if that will ever change.Tom the Tour Guide (Salem Witch Wiles)http://www.blogger.com/profile/04595637697583425642noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-470182137145872547.post-15081525320417825302012-01-09T12:14:00.001-05:002012-10-26T12:46:28.747-04:00Laurie Cabot Closes Shop - Christian Day Opens Hex: New Orleans<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<span style="font-size: x-small;"><i>The Salem Witch Wars: Never Again. </i></span></div>
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When this cartoon was published in the newspaper October 2007 Laurie Cabot was a tiny bit annoyed by it. She always ran her business as well as her coven with integrity and class, and spent time being an <a href="http://www.lauriecabot.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=category&layout=blog&id=9&Itemid=11">activist</a> and donating time and money to charity. Sure sometimes she was in the news for <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Laurie_Cabot#Incidents_and_controversies">embarrassing things</a>, but that was her personal life and no one else's business.<br />
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Christian Day, on the other hand, thought it was hilarious. He started his business knowing very well that regardless of all else <a href="http://cdn.smosh.com/sites/default/files/bloguploads/haters-mermaid.gif">haters gonna hate</a>. I'm sure that on some level being compared to someone he looked up to was kind of an honor, and on the other hand, he just really loves controversy.<br />
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In the long run, it ended up that the <a href="http://www.witchvox.com/va/dt_va.html?a=usfl&c=wars&id=2093">witch wars</a> all the <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=muHhY0XGO5I">gossipy folk</a> in the <a href="http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v169/voxangelus/renfaireheather2.jpg">pagan community</a> were supposing went on between Christian and Laurie were much imagined and embellished. In fact, even after he went to her birthday party a few years ago, proving once and for all they were still friends, some people still say they hate each other.<br />
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And now, after 42 years, <a href="http://www.lauriecabot.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=7:official-witch&catid=4:offical-witch-of-salem&Itemid=7">Salem's Official Witch</a>, the most respected and beloved freak in New England, Laurie Cabot is closing her shop for good. Most people heard the news via <a href="https://www.facebook.com/LaurieCabot">her Facebook page</a> where she wrote a lengthy status update explaining everything:<br />
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<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-15gB6BBm3dU/TwsRf9oCVMI/AAAAAAAAAMQ/cFeEqFPXHGk/s1600/tumblr_l80up3Kegx1qcgqs9o1_500.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="253" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-15gB6BBm3dU/TwsRf9oCVMI/AAAAAAAAAMQ/cFeEqFPXHGk/s320/tumblr_l80up3Kegx1qcgqs9o1_500.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: x-small;"><i>"<span class="text_exposed_show">As you can imagine running a store and
trying to be available to the temple is a lot of work, and so I have
decided to align myself with my new goals and close my store, The
Official Witch Shoppe."</span></i></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: x-small;"><span class="text_exposed_show"><span style="font-size: small;">Of course, this wasn't her first shop. Over the years Laurie has become successful and world famous, but business has always been hard for her. Over the years she has been in the news for all kinds of things, some of them related to mistakes she had made business-wise, sometimes her problem was simply trusting people too much. But she is ending things on a good note...</span></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: x-small;"><span class="text_exposed_show"><span style="font-size: small;">She goes on, </span></span></span><span class="text_exposed_show">"...<i>from the first, The Witch Shoppe to Crow
Haven Corner and then The Cat, The Crow and The Crown and finally to
The Official Witch Shoppe. It has been a dream come true to have had
the experience of operating my stores and the countless wonderful people
I have met and interacted with at each of my shop locations.</i></span><span style="font-size: x-small;"><i><span class="text_exposed_show"></span></i><i><span class="text_exposed_show"> </span></i><span class="text_exposed_show">"</span></span></div>
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<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-wbxwcpOVpDQ/Twse7LRbJvI/AAAAAAAAAMY/cl7zNlmHqeE/s1600/Laurie4.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-wbxwcpOVpDQ/Twse7LRbJvI/AAAAAAAAAMY/cl7zNlmHqeE/s1600/Laurie4.jpg" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: x-small;"><span class="text_exposed_show"><i> 1971(?) - The Witch Shoppe, Salem, MA</i></span></span></div>
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<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-ewHEZk3ZMwM/TwshG-JJSuI/AAAAAAAAANQ/R8Rv8IwBQe0/s1600/crow+haven+corner.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-ewHEZk3ZMwM/TwshG-JJSuI/AAAAAAAAANQ/R8Rv8IwBQe0/s1600/crow+haven+corner.jpg" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: x-small;"><span class="text_exposed_show"><i><a href="http://www.crowhavencorner.com/">'Crow Haven Corner'</a>, now owned by a student/friend of Laurie's, Lorelei.</i></span></span></div>
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<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-0jfa3MKGWpg/TwsiDZE4wZI/AAAAAAAAANY/4h6dKobBNeY/s1600/salem-witch-laurie-cabot_1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="213" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-0jfa3MKGWpg/TwsiDZE4wZI/AAAAAAAAANY/4h6dKobBNeY/s320/salem-witch-laurie-cabot_1.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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<i><span style="font-size: x-small;"><span class="text_exposed_show">The location of 'The Cat, The Crow, & the Crown', which then became The Official Witch Shoppe.</span></span></i></div>
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<span style="font-size: x-small;"><span class="text_exposed_show"><span style="font-size: small;">Now, when it really comes down to it this isn't really all that shocking to someone that knows her. She really loves being who she is, interacting with people, etc., but everyone could always tell that Laurie didn't really like being a tourist attraction! I'm not sure how different she used to be, but for a long time now it's been clear she'd rather not harassed by pushy tourists, choosing rather to be more elusive and mysterious.</span></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: x-small;"><span class="text_exposed_show"><span style="font-size: small;">I'm sure at this point she can <a href="http://www.theofficialwitchshoppe.net/">sell her products online</a> and get more business than the physical shop does, and she will still be busy teaching <a href="http://www.lauriecabot.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=category&layout=blog&id=6&Itemid=9">classes</a> - not to mention most psychics have regulars that call in for <a href="http://www.lauriecabot.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=category&layout=blog&id=5&Itemid=8">readings</a> and I'm sure hers are extremely dedicated. In the long run, maybe the shop just wasn't worth her time and money anymore. Odds are she'll do more good for the community, make more money, <i>and</i> have more fun without it. I don't think she'll ever fully retire, so this might be the closest she ever comes.</span></span></span><br />
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<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-gGML73LGMxQ/TwsjV1zlccI/AAAAAAAAANg/r3kB92MMhVA/s1600/look-for-this-sign-from.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="239" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-gGML73LGMxQ/TwsjV1zlccI/AAAAAAAAANg/r3kB92MMhVA/s320/look-for-this-sign-from.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: x-small;"><span class="text_exposed_show"><span style="font-size: small;"> <span style="font-size: x-small;"><i>Keep your eyes peeled for this sign at </i></span></span></span><i> 1219 Decatur Street in The French Quarter.</i></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;">The other big news in Salem is also big news for </span>Vieux Carre. Salem's own Christian Day is opening up another incarnation of his successful shop, Hex, in the oldest neighborhood in New Orleans. "It happened very quickly," he said on his Facebook page. He's already headed down there and plans on opening as early as February. Rumor has it he plans on opening a third shop in Saudi Arabia in the future. </div>
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<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-O-NdIDvPWT8/TwstUQxKXdI/AAAAAAAAANo/8XEWevVT1b4/s1600/trolling%2521.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="178" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-O-NdIDvPWT8/TwstUQxKXdI/AAAAAAAAANo/8XEWevVT1b4/s320/trolling%2521.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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<a href="http://www.cbsnews.com/8301-215_162-57344173/salem-comes-to-saudi-arabia/"><i>Ha.</i></a></div>
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So watch out, N'awlins, the Howard Stern/Kathy Griffin/Joan Crawford of witchcraft is on his way...</div>
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<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-iypAr_Ggu5g/Tws61IijJxI/AAAAAAAAAN4/4KWmwEzFAI4/s1600/390114_10150482998906799_542736798_8961178_365553557_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="211" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-iypAr_Ggu5g/Tws61IijJxI/AAAAAAAAAN4/4KWmwEzFAI4/s320/390114_10150482998906799_542736798_8961178_365553557_n.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: x-small;"><i>Oh wait, add <a href="http://disneyvillains.wikia.com/wiki/Winifred_Sanderson">Winifred Sanderson</a> to that.[<a href="https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=10150482998906799&set=a.10150315994941799.334517.542736798&type=1&theater">credit</a>]</i></span><br />
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Tom the Tour Guide (Salem Witch Wiles)http://www.blogger.com/profile/04595637697583425642noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-470182137145872547.post-65683578286223822882011-12-05T15:05:00.001-05:002011-12-15T10:18:11.877-05:00A Wicked Solstice Season in Salem<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-Ny-9jzy2H_I/TuZcK7xeJBI/AAAAAAAAAL4/btjLpScq0NE/s1600/pylewitch.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-Ny-9jzy2H_I/TuZcK7xeJBI/AAAAAAAAAL4/btjLpScq0NE/s320/pylewitch.jpg" width="244" /></a></div>
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<i>She was resisting.</i></div>
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It snowed in time for Halloween this year, but December has been nice and mild so far - which is great considering how much there is to do.<br />
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Sure, I could keep busy online by joining the <a href="http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2011/12/08/war-on-christmas-psa_n_1137232.html">War on Christmas</a>, I considered writing an article on the <a href="http://www.huffingtonpost.com/derek-flood/the-real-war-on-christmas_b_1128864.html">topic</a>, maybe covering the <a href="http://www.patheos.com/Resources/Additional-Resources/Christ-Is-NOT-the-Reason-for-the-Season?offset=0&max=1">holiday's pagan origins</a> or just documenting <a href="http://www.patheos.com/blogs/slacktivist/2011/12/07/confused-rhode-island-christianists-sing-secular-song-to-defend-pagan-symbol/">conservative hubris</a>, but so many others have already done so so <a href="http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2011/12/07/jon-stewart-fox-news-war-on-christmas_n_1133528.html">eloquently</a>. Also, I've been fairly busy getting into the holiday spirit - Salem Witch style.<br />
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<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-GnR7OtmaAS4/TuZcCQBGdeI/AAAAAAAAALw/r8eBVTl5SVU/s1600/krampus08.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-GnR7OtmaAS4/TuZcCQBGdeI/AAAAAAAAALw/r8eBVTl5SVU/s320/krampus08.jpg" width="205" /></a></div>
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<i>Happy Horrordays!</i></div>
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This year's Krampus art show and holiday-ish party at the Fool's Mansion was pretty awesome. If you have never heard of the amazingly horrible and wonderfully terrifying myths surrounding Krampus consider the following excerpt from <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Krampus">Wiki</a>:<br />
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<i><b>" Krampus</b> is a <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mythology" title="Mythology">mythical</a> creature recognized in <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alps" title="Alps">Alpine</a> countries.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-morning-news-20021204_0-0"><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Krampus#cite_note-morning-news-20021204-0">[1]</a></sup> According to <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pre-Christian_Alpine_traditions" title="Pre-Christian Alpine traditions">legend</a>, Krampus <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Companions_of_Saint_Nicholas" title="Companions of Saint Nicholas">accompanies</a> <a class="mw-redirect" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/St._Nicholas" title="St. Nicholas">St. Nicholas</a> during the <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Christmas" title="Christmas">Christmas</a>
season, warning and punishing bad children, in contrast to St.
Nicholas, who gives gifts to good children. When the Krampus finds a
particularly naughty child, it stuffs the child in its sack and carries
the frightened thing away to its lair, presumably to devour for its
Christmas dinner.</i></div>
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<i>In the Alpine regions, Krampus is represented by a beast like
creature, generally demonic in appearance. Traditionally young men dress
up as the Krampus in <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Austria" title="Austria">Austria</a>, southern <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bavaria" title="Bavaria">Bavaria</a> and <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/South_Tyrol" title="South Tyrol">South Tyrol</a>
during the first week of December, particularly on the evening of 5
December, and roam the streets frightening children with rusty chains
and bells. "</i><br />
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The event was basically a goth Christmas/Solstice party art show with <a href="https://www.facebook.com/zombidisco">Dj Zombi</a> starting off the night playing ambient tracks and spooky winter orchestral stuff before leading into the more dancable music. The art itself varied greatly. Some of the more expensive art was also available in card form. This is the card my mother will be receiving this year:</div>
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<img border="0" height="282" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-MjkBym6HGwA/TuZfiZtambI/AAAAAAAAAMA/Gj1FRcos29I/s320/il_570xN.273673924.jpg" width="320" /></div>
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<i>Basically Krampus is the bad to Santa's good cop.</i><br />
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We also visited Ye Old Pepper Candy Co., the oldest candy company in America, for their open house where they had the back open so you could watch how they make their candy.This place earns my respect by using a lot of the same old-fashioned gadgets that have been used to make candy for hundreds of years. I had no idea how complicated the device to make ribbon candy was. I found a video of another old fashioned candy company using the same equipment <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C9jAd6NRMW0">here</a>. The good part starts at :45. Some people think it's kind of boring, but I always loved when Mr. Roger's brought us to the <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lIgPLVjo-S8">crayon factory</a> growing up. Guess it's a geek thing.<br />
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I also tried to class it up a bit by bringing my wife to the Christmas event tours at <a href="http://www.7gables.org/">The House of Seven Gables</a>. Instead of their usual tours they have one which leads you through the different rooms in the house which are made into living stages with actors that do excerpts from famous holiday literature. Besides the fake British accents making me want to strangle myself with tinsel, it was pretty cool. Among others, they had scenes from <u>Little Women</u>, an excerpt from the <u>Diary of Ann Frank</u> (which was totally bittersweet), a dude desperately trying to do a Welsh accent for <u>A Child's Christmas in Wales</u>, as well as the standards like a scene from <u>A Christmas Carol</u> and the standard recitation of <u>Twas the Night Before Christmas</u>.<br />
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<i> </i></div>
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<i>No, not NightMARE, that came later...</i><br />
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That's right, this weekend at <a href="http://cinemasalem.com/">Cinema Salem</a> they had late night showings of The Nightmare Before Christmas complete with a shadow cast provided by the <a href="http://www.purr3d.net/teseracte/">Teseracte Players of Boston</a><i>. </i>Saying there is room for improvement is by no means a criticism. These guys did a fantastic job, I just know they know they could do so much more. Jack Skelington moved his arms around a lot like he was in RUN D.M.C. or something and it was totally distracting, but decent. The cyclops mummy and The Clown with the Tear-away Face were crowd favorites when it came to costumes. The little girl playing Zero was adorable, and the dude playing the mayor had the jerky robotic movements down and the most hilarious look on his face for the duration of the performance, it was perfect. </div>
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... So that's it. Things die down after October's <a href="http://hauntedhappenings.org/">Haunted Happenings</a>, but after December's <a href="http://salem.org/holidays/">Holiday Happenings</a> are over the city becomes very very boring. Let's hope something interesting happens before spring!</div>
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</div>Tom the Tour Guide (Salem Witch Wiles)http://www.blogger.com/profile/04595637697583425642noreply@blogger.com0